Fire Within the Heart
by Rimahatake
Summary: After the mind-twisting fate of a young woman, she finds herself back in the past. Back to where two guys with big weapons throw sticks at each other and have a war over it. With a couple of lies and a dark secret, she meets a strange man with fiery eyes. And falls in love with him. This is a funny and heartwarming tale of two people from two different worlds. Love is beautiful...
1. Chapter 1: Strange Meeting You Here

_Hello! How are you all doing? I do not own another the characters except for various OCs. Naruto is owned by Kishimoto. Thanks and read! This is my first story so please some feedback! Nice. Also. Just a random fact, but, I really enjoy_

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**Prologue: Heavenly Transportation**

The sky filled with dark clouds. The rumble of thunder filled the ears of the residents. Uchiha scurried about, hiding under their umbrellas as the rain pounded them. Izuna Uchiha was turning the corner of a busy street, when suddenly, the sky let open a burst of light. Lightning struck the ground before him, sizzling with smoke. Right where it was burnt, lay a crumpled body, surrounded with the ashes of the earth around her. Startled pedestrians who jumped out of the way to avoid the Flash, now ran to the girl to examine her health...

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_Chapter 1: Strange Meeting You Here_

... the ground. An acrid scent filled Hiroki's nostrils, clouding her senses. Her body ached and felt as if someone had just poured a boiling pot of water on her. It was raining, and the pounding drops seared her burning skin, sucking the life out of her half conscious body. _Is this Heaven? It_ _seems so sad_. The world tilted around her and she fell into oblivion's arms...

A fuzzy gray entered Hiroki's vision. She blinked once. Twice. Her head felt so heavy. She looked down to see a clean, white hospital gown where a blood stained uniform should've been. Confused, she pulled apart the robe to see no gored hole in her chest. She felt around her body, but she found no scratch, no bruise. _Who did this? What the hell happened?! Am I really in_ _Heaven?_ She recalled the previous memories...

* * *

...catch her!" A man called, and kunai knives whipped around her. Her eyes were burning as they scanned the horizon. _Crap. They're on my tail! _" Stop right there, Uchiha Hiroki! You are under arrest for killing your brother, lying to authorities, and treason." They surrounded her, but her flaming eyes told her that she just sliced them all in half in that split second. Her head reeled. Why? Too much information was overwhelming her._ My brother died for the sake of me. He gave me his eyes..._She had to lie, to come up with good reason. If they found out the truth, the entire clan will go to waste. She sped ahead of the Uchiha tailing her. They had already suspected her from the lie that Hikaru Uchiha had killed himself because of no reason. _Of course, stupid_ _me! What a horrible excuse! Treason?! For what, what?! He died for the sake of the clan, you stupid people!_ He died to give his younger sister reason, to entrust his dream and spirit to her. With her new powers, the Uchiha could finally be accepted as true Konoha residents. He shared the dream of our ancestral leader, Uchiha Madara. Her new power exhausted her brain. She had been training for a month with the new powers, but it was nothing. The information overwhelmed her. It was her fatal mistake, however, for when her eyes caused her to begin to lose consciousness, the Uchiha surrounded her. It was too late. The truth will never be accepted, and she'll die as a traitor. Making a final decision, she laughed into their faces. Her katana plunged itself through her heart, killing herself. The Uchiha 's watched in horror as the truth died with her...

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..._I'm supposed to be dead. Is this really Heaven?_ She stood and dressed in the clothes they had laid out for her. It was an old, gray robe, the material scratchy. The sash was frayed and faded, the color worn. There were simple black pants and sandals. Just then, she noticed the condition of the so called hospital. It was a small confined room with a few beds. there was a simple medicine cabinet in the corner. No equipment, nothing. It was like traditional, old hospital rooms. _This can't be Heaven_. Confused, she walked out to a larger, waiting room.

There was the air of death and sickness everywhere.

_Nope... I'm somehow alive_. She felt confused, the memories whirling around her head._ I can't be alive again..._

"Excuse me, but where am I?" she asked, feeling a gut wrenching feeling...like something unexpected would come.

"You don't know?"

"I've never been here before."

The man looked at her, startled.

"You look like an Uchiha to me. Say...you're the lightning one, right?"

"Lightning?"

He sighed.

"It must've erased all your memories...even to the point that you forgot how you got injured. Man. What a shock!"

He smiled kindly and stood up.

"Here, let me lead you back to your room...in this condition, you mustn't be walking around."

Hiroki looked at him, dumbfounded, and shook his arm away.

"No. I am exactly sure who I am and my memories are intact. It's just I've never been here."

"Oh? You must be unfamiliar with the hospital! You're inside of it. Then go on! Just register your name at this here paper. Are you sure you feel alright?" His voice was kind, but Hiroki found it annoying.

"I feel fine. Good day." She snapped and wrote her name on the slip.

"Oh? Hiroki? I've never heard of the name..."

"Maybe because we all don't know each other here."

"No. All the fathers talk about their children!"

"My father is dead."

The man looked surprised.

"Ah. I'm sorry...This war's got people dying everywhere. I swear...it's disgusting how many deaths we have each day. The damn Senju just got to be that cruel. IT's lucky I'm just a medic...I'd hate to be out there...just waiting to die! Uchiha Madara is a brave one, I tell you!"

Hiroki looked at the man, confusion swirling in her brain.

_Senju? Uchiha Madara? Where the hell am I? The past?!_

Hiroki shook her head and walked out the door. She was met by unfamiliar land. People she didn't know. Buildings she had no idea about. Streets and turns were alien. No...she was the alien in an unknown land. She stumbled and fell on a rock. People rushed to help her. A sudden keening sound entered her mind, and she curled into a ball, clenching her head.

"Miss? Miss? Are you alright?" she looked up to see an Uchiha staring at her, a concerned expression on his face.

His face.

_It's Jun._

The memories poured into her head...his katana, his hard, cold eyes that said betrayal.

_They're here! They're here to kill me! No! _

Hiroki gasped and backed away, her eyes unknowingly swirled into the Mangekyou Sharingan. The headache and keening noise increased.

"S-Stay away! Don't come near. I-I..." Hiroki thought of something ridiculous and it fell out of her mouth," I'm from the Gods! Don't hurt me! S-See, my eyes? They're the light! Yes...the light! The light to help the Uchiha! Good day!"

The headache passed when she reverted them back to normal...and she ran. She ran until she couldn't feel her legs. She didn't even see the civilization pass away into thick forestry. Hiroki panted and leaned against a trunk. She heard a noise...a familiar gurgle of a river. She walked, dazed and shivering from adrenaline and fright.

"What did I just say?! Oh! I'm such a stupid, stupid, stupid person! What the hell!" Hiroki banged her head on a trunk and collapsed on the bank, breathing heavily. She got up weakly and washed her face and took a gulp of water.

Hiroki saw the reflection of herself. It looked sad and weak. Stupid. The tears fell into the pool of water.

"Such a fool. How am I ever going to explain this?!" she pointed to her eyes in the reflection.

She sighed and looked up. She was startled to see the bare face of rock where the Hokage's faces should've been.

"Huh. I'm really in the past." she crawled up a tree, too tired to use chakra to walk up it. She slumped onto a branch and stared at the passing river, the reflection of the glowing sun in it's waters. It was bright red...sinking into the horizon. Hiroki started to fall asleep, yawning and lying her head on the branch.

In the middle of the night, she felt a thump, and woke up to see she was on the ground. She rubbed her head and yawned, too tired to move.

She laid her head on the ground and fell asleep again.

The dreams were intensely vivid. She saw several people. They were all holding weapons. They all advanced towards her. Their faces were hid by shadows...but all she could see were their grins of death. She turned to run, but no matter how much she ran...she didn't get anymore farther.

They leaped to plunge their knives into her flesh.

Hiroki woke with a start to find a person looming over her. She immediately got offensive, only to stare at the face. She recognized him as Hashirama. Hiroki released her defense and assumed a normal position. The man grinned.

"An Uchiha? Haven't seen one around in a while here."

"Ah. I mean no harm. I just happened to be here at the same time as you were...carry on!" Hiroki smiled and backed away.

"Look behind you."

"Wha - " Hiroki whipped around to see a pair of onyx orbs staring at her. Her breath caught in her throat.

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Madara looked at Izuna, his eyes boring into him with one eyebrow raised.

"So you're telling me that there is a woman Who claims to be from heaven. And she's here to help us with the damn Senju? That's a load of bullshit. I might just have to kill the idiot who thought ad such a ridiculous idea, female or not." Madara said with a bored tone. Izuna nodded and Madara sighed.

"All right. Let's get this idiotic thing over with. What the hell is wrong with people these days?" He muttered to himself and stood up off his absurdly huge chair. Madara stared at the men before him and sighed once more.

"So. We're acting on the words of a dumb foot-soldier. Word has spread around though, and it seems we have to take care of it. Izuna says she could be anywhere, but she was last seen going towards the river. Since that's quite close to Senju territory, I'll go towards there. Izuna'll be trailing me. Fujio, lead your row west, Takito, lead yours East. Be off." The two men nodded and departed, leading their groups. Madara turned to his brother.

"Just stay close to me, but don't intercept." He said and walked out the door. _Our clan is really messed up. This could just be a spy of some sort. But the medic said he saw the Mangekyou...hm. I haven't heard of anybody in our clan who has it besides Izuna and I._ Madara thought to himself and headed to the place where his memories lay abundant.

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Through the trees, he saw the woman. She was laying on the ground in a crumpled form. He could sense the presence of the Senju. That _one_ guy to be exact. By the looks of it, she was sleeping, most likely fallen off a tree. He heard Izuna behind him.

"If she doesn't move, tell the others to stop searching. I'll keep an eye out here." Madara said and Izuna nodded, heading off with the message. Madara scaled up a tree and sat on a high branch watching her. She looked harmless, probably something Madara could defeat easily, even if she had the eyes. It was early morning, as he called an emergency meeting from the events the previous day. Izuna returned 30 minutes later and nodded.

"They've stopped. Many of them asked what we should do with her." Izna relayed and Madara continued to watch the woman. He cocked his head to one side, pondering the ideas.

"She looks puny and weak. Young, female. She isn't something we can't deal with. Tell the others we'll keep watch over her in our house." Madara said and Izuna looked at him, alarmed at his decision.

"But Madara! She's a woman! We can't make such a rash decision." izuna argued and Madara nodded.

"Indeed. I can feel Hashirama's chakra coming closer. Most likely he also feels a foreign chakra or one of ours near his border. He probably senses mine and yours as well. We'll see how she fends and accept the facts then. A woman? That's hardly a threat." Madara scoffed and Izuna still continued to doubt his decision, but did not voice it.

"Go. Tell the others. It'll be better if there's only me." Madara said and Izuna bowed, leaving in a dash. Madara continued to watch the woman for several more minutes, until he smirked.

"Ah. The time has come." He smiled as Hashirama approached. The woman got up and stared at the man. Her face grew defensive as she activated her sharingan, jumping back and resuming a hand-combat formation. She stopped and returned to normal after a flash of recognition. Hashirama stared at her before turning threatening. As he spoke a few words, the girl trembled. Madara nearly fell out of the tree laughing. He jumped off of it and walked towards the scene. Hashirama fllicked a nonchalant glance in his direction. The woman backed right into him. She turned around, and her wide eyes told him she was scared out of her wits. He narrowed his eyes and tried to act scary.

"What are you doing here?" Hiroki swallowed. Madara continued to stare down the girl. _Yep. No problem with this one._

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Izuna heard the short exchange from behind the trees and ran with all his might to tell the members that she was no threat whatsoever to them. As he neared the hall, Fujio and Takito ran up to him, faces unpatient.

"So. Madara wants to house this woman. But really, he's keeping an eye on her. Both of you." Fujio smirked. Izuna nodded.

"She's harmless. Madara would kill her if she did anything funny. I saw how she reacted to Hashirama. There was not lie or fake, she knows him, but it looks like she isn't a spy for any clan or the Senju, I even saw the sharingan." He said and the members relaxed.

"Madara and I will see how she fends for one week, I suppose. We can make more decisions later." Izuna said with one last word and strode out to catch up with his brother.

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**Chapter 1 END**

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**Author's note:**_ Hello! How are you all doing! Please suppport me by reviewing and following! Even favorite if you like it! Please read the next chapters! It gets better, I promise._


	2. Chapter 2: Beginnings

Hey! It's Rima... I enjoy writing. This is new to me, so please enjoy. I do not own any of the characters except for my own, Hiroki.

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**Chapter 2: Beginnings **

Hiroki looked at Madara, then back to Hashirama. _This is the worst possible situation right now!_ She felt the two presences stare her down. Madara's gaze was intense.

" What are you doing off limits to Uchiha, and more so, associating with a Senju, and even worse, _him_." Madara said sternly, his eyes burning into her.

" Um... I'm n-new here, so I didn't know. Please forgive me. It just so happened that I met this man here." Hiroki said sheepishly, eying the ground with great interest. Madara's gaze softened.

"New? Don't come here again. There are dangerous people who might kill you," Madara glanced intentionally in Hashirama's direction," And don't interact with strangers." Madara said, irritated, and glanced at Hashirama, who smiled a goofy grin. He narrowed his eyes and walked away calmly. Hiroki followed, staring curiously at the man in front of her. She didn't question why he was there either, but was still curious. Once on the edge of the small village of the Uchiha, Madara turned to face her.

" You said you were new here? Odd, there's usually no Uchiha outside our clan village." He said, staring intently at her reaction. Hiroki was speechless, she had no idea how to respond. Suddenly, a body appeared next to Madara. It was Izuna Uchiha, little brother of Madara. _Hmm... the infamous brothers..._ Izuna stared at Hiroki cautiously, as if he were watching her for any suspicious movements.

" Nee san! I was just here to tell you about Lightning God woman..." at that point, Madara was staring at her the same way. The brothers eyed her up and down. Hiroki felt an unpleasant shiver run up her spine and beneath her skin.

" Show me your sharingan," was all Madara said. Seeing no escape, Hiroki reluctantly released her Mangekyou. However, the pattern was different than most, for it was the Eternal Mangekyou. Madara's eyes burned as he stared down the flaming eyes. _She's got the Eternal..._ Madara thought. Hiroki heard a high pitch ringing enter her brain. _Shit. It's hurting again..._ Her mind was unaccustomed to her brother's eyes, and she felt her head explode with too much information. Her eyes swirled back to normal in order to keep her consciousness. She smiled weakly, chuckling.

_Her control is unstable. Unworthy of such power_. Madara mused, his eyes cutting easily through her outer appearance. Hiroki squirmed under Madara's intense gaze.

" Who are your family?" Madara asked, curious of whoever gave her such eyes.

" I have none. My mother passed away when I was born due to heavy child labor, and my father died soon after. My only elder brother sacrificed himself for me." Hiroki said, and Madara's gaze continued to intensify. _So it was her brother..._ Seeing that she had no more to tell, Hiroki began to head away.

" Well, I'm quite hungry, seen that I haven't eaten in two days, so I'll be off!" Hiroki smiled and turned to leave. Madara grabbed her arm and dragged her back to face him.

" You're going nowhere. You have quite a criminal record for scaring the pedestrians. Two times." He said and Hiroki groaned inwardly.

A low grumbling sound emanated from Hiroki's stomach. In embarrassment, she looked away. Madara took it to her advantage to offer her into his home.

" Well, if you are truly from the Gods, then please, I'll treat you as my guest." Madara invited and led Hiroki through town. From the previous day, word had spread through town about Hiroki's Godly appearance. The residents greeted her with both curiosity and suspicion. The three stopped in front a glorious house. In fact, the entire road was filled with huge, castle-like, traditional Japanese homes.

" Welcome to Madara's and Izuna's house! " Izuna smiled and entered the spacious home.

" It is most likely that you will reside here for a while. So please treat it as your own home." Madara said as they walked in, " Do not forget this out of respect, I am merely doing what a leader would towards a fellow Uchiha and shinobi. It is only proper that I feed and shelter the homeless and hungry."

Hiroki did not ponder long on his words, It only would make sense since there was no other reason for her to enter a man's household. The house was huge... but empty. It seems the only people living there were Madara and his brother. There were two floors, the first consisted of the kitchen, a dinner room, a living room... etc. The second floor was just a hallway with rooms lining both sides. The roof had some small towers building off the center. Madara led Hiroki upstairs and told her to wait in a room. each side of the hallway had 3 rooms, with one on the end. The end was obviously the biggest, so therefore, Madara's. The one directly to the right, if you stand facing Madara's bedroom, was Izuna's. He gave her the one next to Izuna's. The rest were seemingly empty.

There came a knock. Madara slid open the door to hand her some clothing.

" My brother left to retrieve your materials. Do not be late for the meal if you wish to eat." Madara said to Hiroki and left to leave her in peace. Hiroki's arm reached out and grabbed the back of his robe. His head turned slightly to hear what she had to say, though his eyes said his annoyance.

"Ah! Thank you for letting me stay here. I am deeply grateful. I have one question ask," Hiroki took a deep breath," How old are you?" the question was so straightforward, you could just see Madara's dumbfounded expression. He looked incredulously at her, not sure to respond.

" I am 23." Madara answered, his tone almost as if he was questioning her.

Hiroki nodded thoughtfully. Him and Hashirama have been foes for quite a while. _Hmm... he's still young, that_ _means he isn't that bad or evil yet_.

" I'm 20."

Madara seemed to notice he was standing in the doorway too long and turned around quickly. _Age? What does she know about_ _me? Such an annoyance. _Madara made an annoyed sound.

There was a small bathroom in the corner. Hiroki washed her body and refreshed herself. She looked at the clothing. It looks like Izuna san's. When she tried on the clothes and looked in the mirror, she grew a bit uneasy. _S-should I go out like this?_ Her small body frame was no match for the clothes. She had wrap the robe more around her body and tie the sash tighter in order to make it fit. Still, the shoulders seem to fall right off. The pants were a different story. The just fell right down. Embarrassed, she put on the hospital's pants back on, but kept the robe. Exhausted, she lay down in the middle of the room, so empty and lifeless.

After a boring nothing, she sat back up. Again, the robe's shoulders fell down. Just at that moment, Izuna came home. Madara sent him to go fetch Hiroki for dinner. Hiroki, annoyed with the clothing, took off the sash and opened her robe to readjust. Exactly the moment Hiroki opened the robe, Izuna slid the door open.

" Hey, woman- GYAAAAHHHH!" Izuna just opened the door to see Hiroki's robe wide open, for the world to see her chest. Izuna slammed the door shut and turned around quickly, breathing heavily, his face flustered. Hiroki was just sitting there, just realized what happened. Izuna had just had a clear sight of her bodacious melons. She slowly tied her robe back in place, too embarrassed to blush or scream. Madara, who heard his brother's bloodcurdling scream, ran up the stairs and ran to see his brother's face red as a tomato, half muttering crazily to himself, curled up in a ball outside of Hiroki's room. He immediately ran to his brother's side, trying to get him to speak correctly.

" What's wrong with you?! " He demanded, but all Izuna could do was stare absentmindedly at Madara, his face completely red, muttering a word that made Madara freeze and do a ' what the hell just happened' face.

" Boobies!"

Madara, slapped his brother across the face. Izuna snapped out his trance and glared at Madara, rubbing his sore cheek. " What happened, tell me." Madara said, his voice like a parent scolding his child.

" Well, I came up to get her as you said, and, and, and... I opened the door... And her robe was wide open. I could see her... uh... chest. So I kind of slammed the door shut and turned around reaaal fast." He repeated, seeing the image in his head. His cheeks warmed just at the thought of it. Madara sighed, pinching his nose bridge between his thumb and forefinger.

" I can't believe my brother is so perverted... Leave, I'll adjust the situation. Next time, KNOCK. Baka!" Madara scolded, feeling embarrassed that his brother was such an idiot. Well, I guess you don't have to worry about barging in while someone's changing if you lived in a house full of boys all your life. Madara knocked on the door. No reply. _Their both disgraces to the human race. Izuna's lucky he's my brother__..._He opened to door slowly to see a dumbfounded Hiroki, sitting in the middle of the room like a duck. Her expression was one of half embarrassment, half saying ' oops'. He sighed.

" Did you do that on purpose?"

"Why the hell would I?!" she retorted.

"Because you're some evil witch." he said in the same snappish tone.

"Like hell I am. And you're a turtle. You're brother is forgiven." she mumbled angrily to herself and Madara gritted his teeth.

She's a despicable woman. He thought and dragged his brother down the stairs.

After a short while, Hiroki came down to eat. She saw food and her eyes lit up.

" Um, the Medical House said that this was found mysteriously at your bed... it doesn't look like any of ours, so they assumed that is was yours." He said awkwardly and quietly. Hiroki looked at the object in his hands. It was her backpack.

" Ah! Thank you! I'm sorry about the previous incident. I believe it was my fault." Hiroki said and took the bag from him.

"No! It was mine! I should've known to knock! Thank you for being kind." he smiled gratefully.

"I'm glad you're the nice one."

Madara narrowed his eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean, the one who was so graciously invited here to live. Ah, who's rice is it that you're eating?" he said.

"Don't worry about Madara, he's just an old sourpuss who doesn't like anybody." Izuna smiled and Hiroki nearly choked on her rice in a small snicker.

"Who are you calling sourpuss, Izuna."

"You." Izuna said and grinned.

"I'm sorry, but to be honest...you're much of the more...reserved...type." Hiroki said.

"Can you guess why? It's because a whole bunch of idiots don't know how to keep their mouths shut." He glared in his brother's direction.

"No harsh feelings, I promise. I am eternally grateful. I will be as respectful as you say." Hiroki said in order to calm the ever cold-eyed Madara and the snickering Izuna.

Madara did not say anything. But Hiroki took it as the sign of peace. She sighed and continued to down her meal.

At least she knows her manners. But needs to know her place.

Hiroki opened the pack to see that indeed all her supplies were there, along with a few of her personal items. Her supplies included a katana with the Uchiha symbol etched on the bottom, kunai and shuriken, several scrolls of sorts, a medical kit pouch, various medicines, and several books. Her personal items included pictures of her family, especially her brother, her sketchbook and many drawings, journal filled with observations, and...

Hoshigaki.

_No way... the Gods actually gave me my favorite treat!_ (if you don't know what hoshigaki is, it is Japanese dried persimmons. it is extremely expensive and very good!).

Hiroki took out the box and eyed it carefully. She opened it carefully and saw that it was chocked full of it. Her mouth watered just at the sight of all the delicious treats. Madara and Izuna recognized it as well. This was a rare candy, it was only given to those who had the money to buy it. Hiroki noticed Izuna's hungry stare and despite her brain telling her to keep it all for herself and not share it with some people she barely knew, her heart told her to be kind and share..

"Izuna...since you have been so sincere, I can give you some!" Hiroki smiled and offered it to him. He took two and smiled gratefully at her.

Hiroki glanced at Madara. His expression showed no sign of anything. But she offered him some.

"Do you happen to want some?"

"Aww, don't ask him! He'll never respond. I'll take it for him..." Izuna said and reached for the box, already done with the two. Hiroki snatched it away and closed the lid.

"He has to say so for himself. Well, Mr. Madara, what do you say?"

"I have no need to eat sweets."

"It's really good."

"Are you trying to tempt me?"

"Perhaps."

"...No thank you." He said and stood up, leaving silently. Hiroki stared after him, feeling quite hung off on a cliff. It was as if he had saw her dangling there, hanging on by a couple fingers, He reached down to grab a hold...but at the last second, he snatched away his hand and walked away, smirking.

" Well that's a way to treat your guest." Hiroki muttered under her breath and stood up to leave as well. Izuna smiled kindly and put a hand on his shoulder before brushing past her into his room. Hiroki walked slowly, taking time to examine the house, and once she reached the door, slid it open and walked in.

"This is a nice start to a new life." she said and opened the window. The air blew in, and Hiroki let the wind refresh her face.

"Maybe I'll find a purpose in what they did."

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**Chapter 2 END** - _They have met! Dun Dun Dun... the story unfolds_...

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**_Author's Note: _**_Thank you for all my supporters so far! Haha! Keep on reading! This chapter was not very good so far. Please keep on reading! I promise it gets better!_


	3. Chapter 3: Falling Away

_Thank you for everything so far! Please, favorite, review, and follow! I would very much like to see some feedback! Thank You very much! Love - Rima-chan_

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**Chapter 3: Madara vs. Hiroki**

Hiroki glanced over at her bag. She saw one thing peek out, her sketch book. She walked over and pulled it out.

She felt her heart tug as she went through the pictures that she drew. Most of them were of her brother, whom she missed dearly. From the crude sketches when she was 14, to her more advanced hand at 20, it showed her brother through the years, growing changing. The leather-bound book was worn and faded over the years, the pencil lines growing dull and blurred. There were sketches of Konoha from different places, and her most favorite, a huge Sakura tree. Feeling nostalgic, Hiroki grabbed her pencils, and looked back out the window for a good scene. The window didn't offer much, for it was small and blocked most of her vision. Remembering what she always did, she took one foot on the ledge and leaped up onto the edge of the roof. It was made of terra-cotta tiles, and clacked when she stood upon it.

Setting down her materials, she just stood there admiring the small village in the moonlight. Madara's house was on a hill, so it overlooked to past the village and beyond. She could see Hokage's Mountain... erm, what was to be Hokage's Mountain, the river where Hashirama and Madara first met, and the smoke curling up into the air from the Senju clan village. There was vast forestry, it covering every inch of what would be Konoha, and spreading out. The landscape was so unfamiliar and strange, but it was still the same land, the same ground upon which she was born, raised, and taught to love. Hiroki sat down, sketching lightly the outlines of trees, the Mountain, and small houses. She drew the moon as well, to capture the beauty of it all in the nighttime shine. Before she knew, minutes passed, and she held it as far as her arms could hold out. Hiroki glanced back and forth from the drawing to the real landscape, added a few changes, and blew away the eraser dust and graphite particles. Hiroki was surprised at how her skills were, it looked very realistic, down to the miniscule details, like leaves on the trees, or cracks in the rocks. Hiroki smiled, leaning back and enjoying the night.

"So, just enjoying yourself on a rooftop?"

Hiroki jumped up and clutched her heart, feeling the strange rush of a startle. Madara was sitting next to her, just as if he were there the entire time. _How did I not notice his presence? Or am I really that bad at detecting incoming bodies...? _Hiroki thought.

"Your expression tells me that you did not notice I was here. I _am_ the master of stealth." Hiroki just stared at him, her eyes just saying 'Oh really now'. Madara was silent for a moment and then glanced at her lap, where the drawing was.

"You like drawing."

"You don't say?"

"Not very amusing."

"I wasn't trying to be."

"I see that it looks okay."

Hiroki glanced at him warily before shrugging and handing him the sketchbook. He stared at it for awhile before handing it back.

"Not bad."

"Great feedback. It's just what I needed."

"I wasn't thinking of giving you any criticism. Be lucky that I didn't."

"What? You were just going to shit completely on it?"

"Hm. Pretty much. I tend to be a bit harsh on the words."

Hiroki stared at him. It was worse than she expected.

"That's an understatement." she scoffed and turned away.

"You want to try me?"

"No thank you."

It was silent for a minute.

"So, you just happen to be on the roof at the same time as me?" Hiroki asked suspiciously.

Madara stared at the moon, leaning back, gazing softly at the moon.

"No, I come out to review my thoughts or if I can't sleep. Every single night. What of you?"

Hiroki stared at him. _He's a bit different than I thought. Hm. But did the historians really leave out the part about him staring at the moon and trying to be all macho?_

"Well, in my old home, I would come out every single night as well, to usually talk with my brother, or well when he was gone, to write. However, tonight, I felt like drawing something, especially this landscape." Hiroki replied. She tried to keep her secret about her being from the future.

_If that were the case,_ Hiroki thought_, they'd pound me with endless questions to_ _try to use me in their favor. Who knows what they might do to get the answers out of me..._ _I'd best_ _not try to change the past..._ Madara continued to stare at the moon, his gaze subtle.

It was silent between the two of them, but while Madara was staring all macho at the moon, Hiroki sneaked glances at him. She actually did a double take when she saw how gentle and kind he looked... just like her brother... In the moonlight, his features were softened and less harsh. His entire body seemed more free and loose, instead of tensed, coiled, hardened features without a show of any emotion. Reading about her ancestor, Hiroki figured Madara would always look tough and reserved, like a hard nutshell you can never crack open. But seeing him now, it was completely different from what she saw earlier. A small smile played on his lips, and Hiroki felt a curiosity form within her about this Madara. Reminded of her brother, Hiroki asked him a question.

" Uh...Madar...no...uh...Uchiha-sa...no...Uchiha-sam a...may I draw you? I feel like in the drawing mood."

Madara turned to face her. He shrugged, _What harm could it do?,_ he thought.

" Fine, you can just call me Madara by the way." Madara turned to face the moon once more, thinking of his countless worries... all the while, sitting rock still in order for Hiroki to draw him. Hiroki sketched it out first, then added his head, then his hair, then his body and clothing. She drew the fine lines for everything else and finished it. The hardest part was saved for last, his face. She drew with careful and immaculate detail, making sure not to miss the glint of the moonshine reflecting off his eye. With a blow to brush away the graphite and eraser dust, Hiroki handed it to Madara.

"Here you are! Hope you like it." Madara stared at the drawing, and actually smiled. She could see him really smiling, for his eyes were filled with the same smile as well. She was quite proud of it as well, it was the best portrait of someone she'd ever drawn.

"Interesting... do I really look like this? Quite handsome if I say so myself..." Madara said to himself, and realized Hiroki heard his comment. He looked to see her smirking, her smile saying,' You know, you are only bragging. It was me who drew you that way, so be thankful I didn't add your imperfections '.

"I have no imperfections."

Hiroki jumped. _Does he know what I'm thinking?!_

He gave her back the notebook and smirked. Hiroki stood up and stretched her sore muscles.

"Hope you don't dream of yourself." Hiroki said and hopped into her window.

"I hope you don't dream of me either." She heard him say and snickered to herself.

That night, she dreamed of her brother, and smiled happily in her sleep. She was just glad she didn't dream of him.

* * *

In the morning, Hiroki awoke to see that she was earliest. Seeing she had nothing to do but to wait, Hiroki hopped onto the roof and sat, watching dawn rising over the Fire Country. Madara and Izuna woke up at the start of fresh sunlight soon afterwards. As usual, Izuna went down to prepare a breakfast. After the preparation, Madara went down to eat. They sat at their places, just about to eat when they felt they had forgotten something.

"That's right. We have the honorable guest. Go and fetch her, Izuna." Madara suddenly remembered and Izuna ran upstairs to call her from her room. This time, he knocked politely before entering. Hiroki, who was up on the roof, heard the faint knock and swung her head over to see who it was.

"Who is it?" She called.

"It's Izuna. Come down to eat breakfast." Hiroki remembered about mealtime and jumped into the window. She opened the door and she and Izuna came down to Madara, who was waiting patiently. Hiroki carefully examined his features. As usual, his hard poker-face was back, with none of the macho stuff she saw last night. _He must_ _act like this in front of his brother... but isn't he closest to him...? Well, it could be he transforms_ _at night. It must've been the moonlight. Yes...yes indeed_.

The meal was as silent. When everyone finished, they all resumed to their business. Madara as head, had to attend meetings and such. Izuna was right at his side. Hiroki sat alone in her room, doing nothing but contemplating the past. The room she was in was bland, so, with the few personal items she had, she decided to decorate the room a tad. Wandering around the house, she found a few nails and a hammer.

In her room, there were four walls, the long sides included the entrance rooms, and the shorter sides, were on the left and right. In the back wall, there was two sliding doors; one for the bathroom, the other for the small closet. The closet held the bedspread and the few clothes that were given. The bathroom was simply a bathtub, a sink, and a toilet. The only furniture was a small desk on the left wall with a small book shelf above it. Hiroki organized her books onto the bookshelf; 3 on medical ninjutsu, 2 on the history of the Uchiha, 1 journal of Hiroki's observations on hers and her brother's sharingan. There was another journal of her own writings every day. She also put her drawing notebook and supplies up there. She put her ninja supplies and weapons in the closet. The hoshigaki was also stored in with her supplies. Her now empty backpack, she stuffed with the rest of her weapons.

Hiroki hung up a few of her drawings and the pictures of her family. She hung up a recent drawing of her brother, the Sakura tree, and her favorite Konoha place. And, the drawing of Madara. She spent the rest of the day wandering the house. Hiroki dared not to enter any of the rooms, and she simply wandered the downstairs. The house was indeed empty. The only trace of any other person living there was some of their father's things. Getting bored quite easily, she retired in her room until the brothers arrived home.

At dinner, it was silent and solitary as usual. Hiroki crawled up onto the roof to look at the stars. She recalled memories of her brother teaching her constellations.

* * *

Flashback...

_A young 9-year-old Hiroki sat beside the older, 14-year-old Hikaru. He pointed at clusters of stars as his younger sister smiled, her eyes wide with amazement._

_"Look, Hiroki, it's Pegasus! It's supposed to be a winged horse! The stars tell such wonderful stories right?" Hikaru said softly, pointing out a specific cluster of stars. Hiroki nodded and smiled. " Onee-chan! Can you find me up there? Are Okaa-sama and Otou-sama stars too? Can I find a Hikaru star?" Hiroki asked, pointing at random bright stars. Hikaru laughed at his sister's ignorance. He smiled gently and told her._

_"No, Hiroki, I cannot find a Hiroki or a Hikaru star anywhere. However, I bet the brightest stars are Otou-sama and Okaa-sama watching over us, shielding us form harm. Can you see the brightest ones?" Hikaru said and Hiroki squinted her eyes at the billions of star above them. After a long one, she pointed to the stars Betelgeuse and Rigel clustered close to each other in the constellation Orion._

_"Those two! They are bright and shining! I think that's Okaa-sama and Otou-sama!" Hiroki said brightly and wished upon the bright stars to protect her from any harm. Hikaru smiled at his sister, and nodded, also praying to protect his sister._

Fast-forward...

* * *

Hiroki stared at those two stars now, smiling to herself. She raised her hand and traced the outline of Orion, the constellation the two stars were in. She heard Madara land on the roof from his window and walk over to her.

"So, where are you pointing at?"

"The stars."

"What for?"

"My relatives are up there."

Hiroki showed him the two stars.

"Those are the my parents... watching over me. I gotta find my brother. Hold on..." Hiroki then proceeded to find the brightest star apart from her parent's stars. Her eyes latched onto Sirius.

"There! That's my Onee-chan!" Hiroki exclaimed, smiling, "He's watching over me too!"

He scoffed.

"You really believe in that?"

"Of course. It's something special you can always rely on. Especially when everything else seems like a lie."

Madara followed her fingers to the 3 stars. He stared at them. His lips lifted into a small smile

"Do you know much about the stars?"

"Yes. My brother often showed me them."

"Then teach me."

"Why?"

"It's seems like an interesting way to pass time."

"I'd never think I'd be the one to teach the almighty Madara something."

"You're lucky then. Like it's something to be proud of."

"It kind of is. You're really a famous one."

"How do you know?"

"I'm Godly."

"Watch, you're going to use that for everything.

"Yeah. pretty much. It's a good excuse."

He scoffed. Hiroki shrugged, a grin on her face.

The two sat down, Hiroki pointing out the constellations with her hand, like her brother would've done for her.

The days seemed to go by in a blink of an eye. Before she knew it, she had spent a week here, and then two weeks, and then a month. Every day was the same.

Every night, Madara would spend a little time talking and conversing with Hiroki.

A usual, he was his usual over-confident self. He just didn't know the seedling of friendship had already been planted into his heart. It was soon clear that he quite enjoyed her company,whether he liked it or not. The month had all brought them a little closer.

* * *

"Madara-sama. It's been a month. How was your assessment of the woman? Hiroki, was it?" Fujio asked. They had been keeping records of Hiroki for the past few weeks. Madara indeed had gotten closer to her, and found her quite amusing, but was sure to put up a boundary between work and feelings.

"She's as I suspected. Like any other woman, with the exception of shinobi skill and an interesting history. It seems she was raised seperately from the clan somehow. And 'apparently' she had been sent just now by the gods. A 'calling.' " Madara said and the members nodded.

"If she is as she says, then she could be useful in war." Takito said and the murmurs broke across the room.

"She could be lying! Didn't you say you never saw her before?! And I never heard of her name! Don't trust those bastards." Someone hissed. A few people nodded. Madara narrowed his eyes. In the past weeks, he knew for sure she wasn't a traitor. But he still had to put the idea in his mind.

"All right. Then let's assess her skills. It's only proper. I'll get to know her techniques, and perhaps figure out where she may be from or of sorts." Madara suggested and murmurs burst around the room once more. They all nodded.

"Then it's decided." Madara said with a final, authoritive voice.

* * *

On one dinner, in which was as usual, silent, Madara actually broke the awkwardness and mentioned something to Hiroki.

"The Council had asked me to assess your skills. We have been talking about it for quite a while and reached a consensus, it is possible we can use your ability in battle against the Senju. I truly believe it's a load of shit that anyone would put a woman out in war. And there's no way you can possibly that strong. Even if you have the eyes." Madara said and exited the room after finishing his meal.

"You think I'm weak?"

"From the looks of it...you've had training. But not as much to be of use against the Senju. It's all the Council. They're blind idiots."

"Then I trust your judgement. I have to admit...I am not as powerful as everyone thinks I am." she said the last part quietly to herself.

That night, the two talked about simply how Madara was to assess her.

"First, I will simply see your tai-jutsu and weapons of your choice. I will see how you do without the usage of chakra. Next, assessment of jutsus and chakra. We will use sharingan. Finally, we go all out spar- with our Mangekyou sharingan. See that you have a proper rest and don't stay up. Next morning, I'll make sure you get a proper meal, and we'll see to it that Izuna guides you safely to the area. If you don't mind, there will be some of the councilmen there as well." Madara instructed and Hiroki nodded, making sure that she remembered all of it.

Hiroki sighed happily and laid back against the roof tiles, closing her eyes and reviewing all her techniques to kill someone... Madara stared at the woman beside him, and felt something. Hiroki's pale white skin glowed ghostly translucent in the moonlight. It was a striking contrast with her raven black locks. She had hair slightly parted to her right side, falling in casual strands, long , sleek , straight and smooth to halfway down her back. There were usually two tails in the front, with some tufts sticking out to frame her slender face. Thick, long, dark eyelashes fringed her doe-like eyes, her nose small and angular, and full lips with a delicate hue of red. Madara stared at her for a bit too long before realizing and quickly looked away. A bit of pink dabbed his cheeks. Hiroki sat up and exchanged 'Good Night's ' with Madara. They both crawled into their windows and ended the night.

Hiroki woke up refreshed and full of energy. She washed up and went out to eat breakfast. As usual, Madara and Izuna sat down. This morning's meal was full of stamina and energy foods to sustain both of them for the assessment.

"Be at the training grounds by 1:00. Make sure you eat lunch, and be sharp." Madara warned and went to grab his supplies. Hiroki went into her room and dressed in some simple clothing. Her closet was full of clothes that actually fit, the past month had given her time to buy proper clothing. She donned a simple black robe with a red sash, pants that bunched at the ankles, and sandals. She put on some light armor, black gloves, put her katana into the sash, tied her kunai, shuriken, and some other simple supplies around her right leg in a small box. She tucked one summoning scroll inside her robe, and headed out to meet Izuna.

"Okay! Izuna lead me about." Hiroki said and the two departed. They toured the city and visited shops, eating sweets and drinking pop. The Uchihans greeted them all kindly and respectfully, calling Hiroki by name after a month. Children ran about. Hiroki was disturbed, their eyes were filled with war and death despite their cheerful nature. Even children as young as 5 were holding shuriken. _Such sights at a young age... _Hiroki thought.

"The children...many must have died in this awful war." Hiroki mentioned to Izuna. He nodded, a faraway look in this eyes, "I had four brothers, but now I only have Nee-san." He said it with respect and a sorrowful, hollow tone, as if he didn't like recalling memories. Izuna hated the fact that his innocent brothers died for no good reason. But he smiled, suppressing the depressing memories. "Madara will always look after me!" Hiroki smile cheerfully and pulled Izuna along the roads. She understood what the brotherly bond meant, especially since they only had each other, the last of their family. Spotting a dango house, Hiroki dragged Izuna inside. It was her favorite food after Hoshigaki. The smell of dumplings filled the air, and it made Hiroki feel warm and toasty.

"Five sticks of dumplings please!" Hiroki ordered and the man smiled as he handed her the dango. Hiroki and Izuna walked about, eating the dango and enjoying the day. Izuna lead her past all the bustling roads and they into more peaceful areas. That's when they came across some children sparring. They all looked around 13-14. As Hiroki watched, there was one obvious kid who was the most skilled. And then there was the one who looked like he just wanted to kill someone. The last kid looked most pacified, gentle. The skilled one was the only one who could do Sharingan. It was still developing, but he could use it well to his advantage. He had dark blue hair and a well-built frame. The kid who looked like he could use a chill-pill had dark brown hair and had a square jaw, he was also a bit chubby. He was slow, but used a lot of force in his movements. The gentle child had mussed up black hair, and a very slender body, with long limbs and quick movements. He was the fastest. As she watched, the Sharingan kid was resting for a bit, and the chubby one sneaked up behind him and kicked his back, making the other kid fall flat on his face. The chubby kid laughed as the Sharingan stared at him with menacing eyes. The fast one punched the chubby one right in the face.

"Idiot, it's not fair to hit Shiro behind his back! Learn to respect a fair fight, Ryota!" The fast one said and Shiro looked gratefully at him. Ryota snickered.

"In war, there is no Senju who's going to wait for us to face him properly before he stabs our backs. There is no such thing as a fair fight when you're out there, Haruki." Ryota responded to Haruki. Ryota's words were true. But, it was still respectful if you didn't go from behind his back.

''You're a coward if you think that, still." All three of them turned to face Hiroki and Izuna staring at them. They all immediately recognized who they were. They bowed respectfully.

"In battle, it is always true that it the enemy will not wait to face you before attacking. But as shinobi, you will follow your own way. Even if they backstab you, you will be the right one and face them when fighting." Hiroki said. The three stared at her. Ryota's face was contorted with confusion. Shiro and Haruki smiled and nodded. Seeing that it was almost 1:00, Hiroki left.

"Goodbye! Shiro, work on your sharingan!" Hiroki called and Izuna led her towards the grounds. At exactly the strike of 1:00, Hiroki appeared at the grounds, Madara waiting for her. A few other people were watching at the sidelines, Izuna one of them.

"All right. This first one is Tai-jutsu and weapons. No chakra allowed." Madara instructed and turned to face her. Hiroki stood properly at her place, and tensed, the balls of her feet ready to pounce. "Begin!" Hiroki watched his movements carefully. Madara crouched down, and... she jumped up to see him at the same time. He charged out with a punch, but she blocked it and kicked him in the stomach. He skidded back a few feet from the impact. Again, she charged at him, feigning a high punch to the face, but then swooped low and swung her leg under him to unbalance him. He easily jumped over her leg and slid behind her.

Hiroki turned around quickly and stepped back, waiting for any attacks. The dodges and punches went on for awhile, Hiroki landing some and Madara landing some. The majority was dodged and/or countered. The two stepped back, breathing slowly to retain oxygen. She could feel her heart beat quickly, sweat dripping from her forehead. Madara slid his katana out of its sheath, and Hiroki the same. They charged at each other, both of them swinging and pushing at each other's blades. The contact lasted a good 10 seconds before they broke. Hiroki swung it carefully, aiming for his side, he parried it and swung, only for it to be dodged. Hiroki side-stepped and jumped up, swinging down as she landed, Madara pulled back, but it sliced his arm. Not a deep cut, it was a minor scratch. Hiroki took deep breath and began launching a series of quick, fast cuts and blows, moving in all directions. She slashed, left, right, up, down, diagonal, in all nooks and crannies.

He dodged most of them, but a few sliced his arms and legs. As she continued to blow the continuous stream of attacks, Madara was slowly moving back, until the last knocked the katana from his hands. Quick as a cat, he drew a dagger and aimed it at her, only to be blocked away easily. Using a summoning attack, he summoned several shuriken and kunai, all aimed at her. She swung furiously all around her, blocking all of them until it was her and a span of shuriken and kunai all around her on the ground. Hiroki was tired, the shuriken and kunai managed to cut a deep gash in her leg. She winced and blocked the pain. He returned to normal position and began the next phase.

"Next, chakra and jutsus of your elements. You may use your sharingan." Madara said and they both turned on their deadly sharingan. "Fireball jutsu!" they both exclaimed and fiery balls of fire exploded from their mouths, countering against each other. The fire extinguished itself after the blow. In a series of hand signals, Hiroki exploded chakra into her hand in the form of wind. She raised her finger and it shot out of her hand in a quick swirl. Madara dodged as she shot it out continuously. She had 2 elements Fire and wind. Madara did a few hand signals and spouted out a huge roaring dragon made of fire. Another furious hand signal and A wind phoenix emerged from her hand, blasting and cut away part of the fire. The wind dispersed, sending searing sharp flames from Madara everywhere.

Another attack, the Wind Slicing Torrent she blew. The sharp gusts of wind sliced Madara as he tried to dodge. But it was wind, you could not see it. To add to the wind, She blew a series of sharp little bursts of fire, which latched onto the wind and controlling it, Hiroki could make it explode into the air near Madara. After the attack, Hiroki was much depleted. He was only using a bit of his power, but Hiroki managed with all her might. They returned to their places as the last and final battle was announced.

"Do whatever you please. You can use your Mangekyou." Madara initiated and Hiroki felt her eyes swirl into Eternal Mangekyou. She felt surprise come from those watching. Madara did the same, it was only the regular Mangekyou. They charged, and Hiroki swung out her katana as he swung out his fan and sickle. Lightning exploded onto the length of the blade as it intensified, streaming out behind her. She swung, the lightning sending sparks as it hit his huge fan. Her Mangekyou blazed, Seeing through all his attacks. She could see his chakra was depleting as well. Suddenly, they both retreated.

"Susano?" Hiroki asked. Madara nodded. She felt her Susano rise, and saw his rise as well. Hers glowed with a yellow-orange tinge, while his had a blue glow. Her susano had a javelin with a longer blade at the end, like a short sword on a spear. On the other hand, he had a small dagger with a serrated edge. His susano had huge multiple arms and several weapons in each hand. Hiroki shivered at the sight of the powerful being. She knew she was no match, but attacked anyway. She rushed forward, stabbing her javelin into his body.

It was deflected easily. He charged, his battle fan waving and his eyes battle lasted long, and both their susanos depleted to nothing. Hiroki's chakra was almost gone. Madara's strength was still there, but still used up a good amount. They both suffered cuts from the blows. She rushed forward, the katana laced with wind, Madara swung his sickle and her katana flew back from the counter.

Her eyes began to blur. _Shit! No! Not now!_ Hiroki fought to keep her consciousness. She felt her eyes fade into darkness for a mere second. It was all it took for Madara to attack her and push her down. Suddenly, Madara's blade was against her jugular. Hiroki gasped.

"I win." Madara said, staring her down.

"My. You're more than what they all say."

"I'm letting myself get hurt by you. This is nothing."

"So you're much more than this?"

"Way more."

"Like so much that you could kill me with one finger?"

"If I try to."

Hiroki nodded in astonishment. She knew her level was no where near the power of his.

"But don't kill yourself over it. You're more exceptional than most of the Council."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But Izuna and I could still kick your ass."

"Well thanks for making me feel so good about myself."

"Don't self-pity. It's disgusting."

"You're so kind."

"I'm not meant to be."

"You're truly a sourpuss."

Hiroki got up and pushed herself past Madara, feeling woozy. She stood behind him, her breath ragged. Madara latched his fan onto his back and his sickle to his belt. The council members nodded and disappeared. The only ones left were Izuna, Hiroki, and Madara. The two stood silently on the battlefield. Hiroki felt blood ooze out of her wounds. She glanced at Madara. A nasty gash crossed his chest. _I'll have to check that... out..._

Hiroki felt her eyes glaze over, blurring. Black spots began to appear at the corner of her vision. Before she knew it, she blacked out, losing consciousness. Madara felt a body slide past his and fall to the ground with an audible thump. He turned around in surprise to see Hiroki lying unconscious. Izuna ran over to see what was wrong. By then, Madara had already crouched down and gently propped her head up.

"You're so unstable. You can't even stand it for an hour or two? My, you'll just die out in battle..."

* * *

**Chapter 3 END:** _Oh no! Hiroki is unconscious..._

* * *

_Author's Note: Hey ya'll! How ya doing! Again... Thank you so much for all the support! Thanks to everybody that reviewed and followed! PLEASE! Keep on reading! This is incredible how I can possibly do anything...Sniff. I think you guys make me so happy. Gyah. Mada-chan must be proud. Love, Rima-chan!_


	4. Chapter 4: Growing Hearts

**Thanks for everything so far! Please continue to review, favorite, and follow 3, Rima-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 4:** **Growing Hearts**

Hiroki could hear voice calling her...but they seemed so far away... _Who is calling my name?_ Hiroki's eyes widened to see Madara leaning over her, a concerned expression on his face. Turning pink, she sat up quickly and got up.

"Let me guess. You can't withstand the usage of it."

"Yeah. Pretty much." Hiroki responded nervously, still blushing at the fact Madara's face was so close to hers. Wincing at a few injuries, she turned to Madara to examine his. She prodded gently as several places, to see if they hurt. When Hiroki poked his chest, he noticeably winced.

"You've just got that bad cut on your chest. I can heal you up once we get back to the house."

"What of yourself? You looked pretty roughed up."

Madara said, noticing the gash on her leg and a cut on her collarbone. She smiled, "I'm fine!" she said cheerfully, though Hiroki could feel her leg grow numb from pain. So, the three headed out to walk home. The people noticed their wounds and stopped to ask what was wrong. They responded with, "Just a spar!" and continued to walk through. It took around 30 minutes from the grounds to the top of the hill where Madara's house was located. Hiroki stopped to buy bandages and ointment. Just as they were walking out of the shop, Madara saw that whenever Hiroki took a step, a spot of blood would appear where she stepped. There was also a slight limp.

"You know, you're awfully good at marking your path." Madara said with a hint of amusement. Hiroki stopped and turned around to see the blood. Her eyes showed a glint of surprise, but no expression. She simply turned around and started to walk again.

"If it hurts, just say so. It's quite obvious that it does."

"We're not that far away from the house. I won't die." Hiroki insisted. The truth was, there was still more than half of the walk home. Seeing her stubbornness, Madara handed Izuna his weapons. Izuna looked at him in surprise, but Madara's expression told him not to say anything. Madara walked in front of Hiroki and stopped. When she stopped, her crouched down, his hands held out to hold her. Hiroki looked at Madara in disbelief, but of course, he couldn't see her face.

"Get on my back. I'm doing this because you're injured." After a moment of silence, Madara motioned her to get on. Hiroki felt irritated, but it was better than getting her leg jacked up. She sighed and climbed atop his back. Madara was gentle with her injured left leg. The pace was slower, but it was better than straining her injury.

"Hmph. You're actually lighter than you look." Madara said, a faint smile on his lips, and Hiroki nearly beat the hell out of his head. Izuna chuckled behind them. Hiroki whipped around and glared at him with devil eyes. He immediately shut up.

"Hey! Don't take it out on my brother! I'll drop you!" Madara threatened.

"Then why did you offer to carry me in the first place?!" Hiroki yelled at Madara, who only smirked in amusement. As they walked through the town, people gawked at Madara and Hiroki. Hiroki had noticed before that the girls blushed whenever Madara was around_. Hehehe... he's_ _quite popular with the girls..._This time around, they stared daggers at Hiroki with narrowed eyes and jealousy. Hiroki buried her face into Madara's back to avoid the stares. Madara also noticed the evil eyes directed toward her. He smiled. _Well...I've never done this except with Izuna, so_ _don't even mention a woman_. Hiroki blushed, her heart pounded in her ears. _Why do I feel this_ _way when I'm with him? Wait...could...I...Madara?! No! No, no, not possible...right? I mean he's_ _going to be like all evil right?_ Izuna noticed Hiroki's flushed face. _Oh...she must like Nee-san!_ _Don't worry, I'll keep your secret_. But then, he saw the gentle smile on his brother's face. No _way! Nee-san too?!_

Madara arrived at the house, Izuna opened all the doors for him.

"Set my down in my room. I can heal you there to. Izuna, can you bring me some warm water and towels? Thanks, just set it outside my room." Izuna ran to get the items she wanted while Madara went to Hiroki's room to set her down.

"Ack! Got blood all over you...sorry. You can freshen yourself up and change into clean clothes." Hiroki told Madara to do and he wordlessly exited. Hiroki got rid of her weapons and armor, then took off her clothes. She put on a clean robe and got out her medical supplies. Dragging herself, to the door, she brought in the water and towels. Hiroki cleaned her wound and disinfected them with rubbing alcohol. She winced at the sting. Next, she sealed the skin shut with chakra. She applied ointments and bandaged her leg tight. Right when she was healing her bruises and cuts with chakra did Madara knock at the door.

"Come in."Madara entered and sat down in front of her. He kind of just sat there awkwardly while Hiroki healed the rest of her wounds. When she was done, she turned to Madara.

"Where are your bruises and cuts?" Madara pointed to his arms and legs. Hiroki healed the bruises and cuts through the fabric, and applied ointment on those visible. The next was his chest. Hiroki felt awkward asking, but there was no other option.

"You're going to have to remove your upper body clothing." Hiroki said, embarrassed. Madara didn't object and pulled open his robe to reveal the upper body. His arms, chest, and abdomen were well muscled. Hiroki blushed. Madara noticed her deep shade of pink. She applied ointment on the remaining cuts on his arms and torso. Hiroki cleaned the wound with water first, removing any excess blood.

"This is going to sting." Hiroki warned before applying rubbing alcohol to disinfect the wound. Madara flinched. Hiroki then began to seal the gash with chakra. The cut was deep, so she could only seal the skin and part of the muscles together. She was not as skilled as a professional medical ninja, but it was enough to partially heal the wounds. Hiroki applied ointment to the cut and bandaged his wound tightly. While close to his body, Hiroki was blushing fiercely the entire time. Madara looked about the room and noticed he hung up his drawing. He smiled, feeling happy that she did.

"You hung up my picture? I swear, you're becoming like all those Madara-worshipers. Half of them are female. Explains you're blushing when you got close to me." He said. Hiroki realized and was speechless, not sure how to give a good reason.

"Uh, I guess in respect for the owner of the house...?" She tried, and Madara chuckled. Hiroki silently scolded herself for choosing such a lame reason. Madara shrugged his robe on and stood up, stretching a bit.

"Not bad. You're not as shitty as I thought you'd be." Madara thanked.

"You're very good at praising people."

"I warned you beforehand."

"Fair enough."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Be very careful, it may open up again if you put strain on it." Hiroki warned and he nodded. He exited the room. Hiroki began to tidy up the room, putting away her supplies and putting her dirty clothes apart to wash later. Hiroki limped painfully out of the room, and walked to the edge of the stair case. _Oh god..._

"Should I just push you down? It'll be the fastest way." Hiroki flinched and nearly fell down the stairs for real. This was the second time he's surprised her with his unknown presence. She smiled nervously. "Well, your house may be trouble for my injured leg." Madara sighed.

"Must I carry you again?" He said, smirking at her expression when he offered the choice. She immediately objected strongly. Seeing that he couldn't possibly carry her all the time, Madara thought up a solution. Madara disappeared down the hallway. He returned a few minutes later a wooden crutch about her size.

"Izuna broke his leg a few months ago. He's about same height as you." Madara explained and she tested it out. It was a bit too short, but still did its purpose.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Hiroki responded and awkwardly bounced down the steps. The meal was fitting after an exhausting day. Madara had something to mention after dinner.

"The Council meeting is in 10 days, and you are required to attend. I'll go over it before it happens, so don't fuss over it very much." Madara said. Everyone was dismissed and Hiroki awkwardly hopped up the stairs.

"Sigh, looks like I can't jump on the roof for a while, now." Hiroki thought aloud and resumed to hopping to her room. Madara overheard and thought for a bit. _I could just carry her up there._

"You, know, I've actually gotten quite used to our talks. I could just carry you up there. Unless you'll be all blushy blushy about it again." Madara suggested.

"Blushy...What?! Fine. Do whatever you want." Hiroki responded.

Once they got to her window, Madara picked her up gently, bridal style. Hiroki turned beet-red. Madara once smirked at her expression.

"Thar she blows." Madara said.

"S-Shut up! A woman has to be a woman!"

"An interesting one."

"You! I'll shave your head while you're sleeping!"

"Oh...that'll be many grave mistakes... I tend to be more vicious when I am attacked during my nap-time. If one dares to wake me up...It'll be a death sentence. And I'm quite the alert sleeper. If you step foot into my room...that's another mistake. And my beautiful locks? What are you going to do with it? Make rope?"

"Fine. I'll slip poison in your food."

"I'm immune to most of them."

"I'll kill you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Then I'll find a way to take revenge."

"I'll drop you."

"You are just full of tricks aren't you."

"Yes. I am the Almighty Uchiha Madara."

"Like that makes perfect sense." Hiroki scoffed.

He jumped onto the roof swiftly and put her down. Despite his constant teasing, Hiroki admired the current Madara. There was a silent moment as they both thought of their own things. It lasted for a while until Madara finally spoke.

"I think most of this world is useless." Madara said, his eyes growing dark with an unknown emotion. "All I've ever dreamed has been wishful thinking. When Hashirama and I were young, we would dream of building a great village together, but the Senju and Uchiha will always fight. One will always hate the other. It is a blood war." He spoke his mind to the girl, who understood what he meant. Hiroki's brother often told her of these things. She smiled gently.

"Yes, we are bound to hate each other till we die, but, I believe your dreams are not wishful thinking. It is simply a dream that we don't know how to reach, so we must find a path to do so. Madara, I believe you are a wonderful leader...you will make the right choices." Hiroki spoke. Madara looked at her and felt chilled. _Does this girl seem to know what will happen to me in the future?_ Hiroki feared the road he would go down, onto the path of darkness and hatred. _The way you are_ _now is who I admire...The bloodthirsty Madara everyone was taught to believe was simply from the hatred of the Senju...or rather...how our clan was treated_. Madara realized there was no escaping the curse, so he left.

"You seem to know what will become of me?" Madara asked. Hiroki's obsidian eyes glimmered like gems in the moonlight. He saw a dark understanding within it.

"The truth is, I didn't come here to aid the Uchiha with the Senju..."Hiroki confessed. _Rather,_ _we're the bad guys in that situation_. " But, however, I can be a predictor of sorts... Yes. I believe I can prevent some things from happening." Immediately, she realized her mistake. She covered her mouth, wide-eyed. _Crap. I spoke too much_. Madara's gaze flared like a hot flame.

"Huh?! Prevent...?! Does that mean something bad-" Hiroki pressed her finger against his lips. Hiroki's face grew clouded, as if it hurt...sorrowful...

"I'm sorry...I spoke too much. Forget everything I said." Hiroki pleaded, her finger still pressed against his mouth. His warm hand slid hers away. He was genuinely confused. His thoughts were muddled, filling with all sorts of emotions.

"I can't magically forget your words. And about you being from the Gods, were you lying to the clan the entire time? If so, I cannot forgive you." Madara said, his gentle tone completely replaced with a shielded accusation, as if their friendship was suddenly blocked, and he was the cold, emotionless Madara she used to see him as. Hiroki swallowed. There was no other explanation for her sudden revival in the past other the work of the Gods... but it was true that she simply thought up of it and claimed she was here to help them just to get out of questioning. At that exact moment, Hiroki decided within herself that it would be up to her to personally help Madara-even if it meant changing the past. Hiroki simply didn't want to think of the consequences at the time... and all she could feel was to help her friend... and a person she was beginning to care about. Hiroki swallowed the nervous lump in her throat.

"I have no other explanation to why I suddenly appeared here. I won't give details, but just to say... I never said that I was here to help with the Senju, your clan simply thought of the explanation. However, I do know what will happen later with you. And I will help to prevent if possible... And I guess in that form, I am here to help your clan." It was all she could say to him. Whether he figured out the truth or not was up to him... she tried her best to conceal it. Madara could feel and see that she was telling the truth. He released his tense appearance. He couldn't explain why he felt such relief that she wasn't lying. _Have I become dependent on this girl?_ He stared at the moon again. The face of silver looked back at him, pondering her words. He felt his chest tug, and glanced at the girl beside him. Her small body was hunched over, she looked so fragile, like a doll her could simply snap in half. He felt his chest leap again at the sight of her. _It's_ _definitely her_. Her face was filled with mixed emotions, he could almost see a tear threatening to fall over her eyelid. Filling with a strange emotion, Madara leaned over and gently embraced Hiroki, his arms sliding around her arms. Hiroki looked at him, surprise in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. It's just you really know how to make someone pissed off." Madara said, and released her. Hiroki stared at him.

"That's a way to give someone a hug." she muttered to herself, not even thinking.

Her emotions felt too muddled, so she couldn't even blush or say a word. She leaned back against the cold tiles. Both were wondering about their feelings, where their true loyalties lied. Hiroki gently placed her hand upon her heart, squeezing the fabric that lay over it. She turned away from Madara. Hiroki thought of her brother...and looked at his star... praying for him to help her now. She closed her eyes and thought of memories.

* * *

Flashback...

_"Onee-chan!" Hiroki rushed over to a bloodstained Hikaru. The 21-year-old man stared at his 16-year-old sister. It was almost dark outside. "Stay away." He croaked, his voice harsh. Hiroki looked at him in confusion. His eyes were dark and mysterious, a thick coat of the red liquid on his face. Hiroki shivered. The look in his eyes made her want to run away and hide. Despite the cold feeling in her stomach, she approached him gently. She checked him for wounds, but found none. Hiroki looked at him in surprise. She had just realized it was not his blood. Seeing the startle in her eyes, his eyes softened. Hikaru, disappointed in himself at letting his sister seeing such a side of him, turned away and rushed out. Hiroki looked at the place where he stood. He had just come back from a mission- most likely assassinating someone. Hiroki admired his great skill and strength, but always was scared at the look in his eyes when he killed someone. It looked as if a wild animal had overtaken his mind with a single word to describe his task- _Kill. _She swallowed, feeling disgusted. Of course, she had seen someone die, had hurt someone, and probably killed someone... but... she was always scared to see her brother do it._

_Hikaru returned silently later to wash off the slather of red on his body. Once all the remains of what he disposed of was gone, he went to search for Hiroki. He knew exactly where she was._ _Hiroki, pondering the thought of her brother being different form the kind, loving Onee-chan she loved was frightening. It was the first time she saw him that way. The tree this time of year was barren. The flowers were wilted and dead. She sat in the gray field, feeling the exact same as the withered around her. She heard the crunch of feet on dry grass and turned to face her brother. He no longer had the stains of his mission, and his eyes no longer feral_. It was dark, and Hiroki could not see his face.

_"Hiroki...I'm sorry you had to see that." Silence._

_"It does not change the fact that I did." She finally retorted. Hikaru was taken back. She had never spoken to him this way._

_"Indeed. But I promise...that part of me you will not have to witness much."_

_"But you are still saying that it will most likely be shown to me again." Hikaru was speechless._

_"There is no escaping that part of me. Your brother isn't always kind. I can kill." Hiroki shuddered at hearing him say that word. He continued._

_"I'll try to limit how many times you see me this way. But, one day I assure you, you are going to have to accept that I am only kind to my only younger sister and sibling. Trust me, nobody would say to you that I am the way that you think of me unless they are from our clan...and I'm sure I have haters there too, seeing that you know my intentions." He referred to the fact he didn't like the way how the Uchiha were treated and his similar intentions to those of Madara._

_"Okay, Onee-chan. I'll always love you no matter what." Hiroki smiled and bounded over to her brother to bear-hug him. He was surprised at first, but then returned the hug with a warm embrace around her shoulders._

_"Of course...I'll do anything for you..." Hikaru said softly thinking of his intentions of what exactly happened four years later. Hiroki had no idea what that meant, but she loved her brother more than anything, and if anything were to happen, the only thing she could think of would be death. Hikaru led her back to their small home, who on the way, had grown very tired. Hikaru chuckled and carried her on his back the rest of the way to tuck her in and give her a kiss on the forehead. "Good night, Hiroki-hime."_

Fast-forward...

* * *

Hiroki thought of the day's events as she ran through her memories. _Just like my Onee-chan..._ referring to the piggy-back ride and his unusual kindness only with her. Madara thought of his kindness with her. _I guess since she's a girl...we have gotten quite close_. Madara thought about if he truly had feelings for her. His mind said it was just a close friendship, one that had just grown into a tight bond in the past month. But his heart felt the jumpiness whenever she smiled or blushed at him. Maybe she feels the same way watching her reactions... he turned to speak to Hiroki. She was fast asleep. He suppressed an urge to laugh.

"You idiot...I cannot believe you can actually fall asleep on a roof!" He chided quietly, picking her up again. With the girl in his arms, he jumped into the window. She was gently laid onto the bed spread. Hiroki's raven locks fell around her face like a dark halo. He stared at her for awhile before standing up and exiting the room silently. He checked on Izuna to see if he was asleep, gave him a brotherly pat on the head, and left to enter the den...

* * *

The next morning, Hiroki awoke to see herself in a bed. _Huh? How did I...Oh. Madara must've_ _brought me in from the roof...I'm so shameless..._ she thought, wincing at her own stupidity. As usual, she got washed up and headed out to eat breakfast. That's when she noticed the house was too quiet. Hiroki limped to the table on her crutch to see a plate of rice balls and a note.

_To Hiroki, from Izuna. Madara and I left for the Council. We'll be gone most of the day. You're sleeping like a log right now. ^ ^ " Well, so by the time you read this, we'll be long gone. Enjoy the day! P.S. Madara says not to spend too much money. _

Hiroki smiled at the note and ate some of the onigiri. She put the rest in a bento box and added 2 pieces of hoshigaki. She slipped on her sandals and limped out the door. She knew exactly where she was going today. The walk would take an hour, since she couldn't jump in the trees. Hiroki walked past the stores and stands, greeting people and them greeting back, wishing for her to get well. She walked past the forest, past the river, and past the great mountain to a place where she could smile and laugh. Spring was just budding in... the sakura flowers were ready to burst, dancing in the gentle wind. Exhausted, she slumped down underneath the sprawling branches and sighed. She was in her favorite place. It was an open field where most of her memories took place. Flowers were beginning to dot the green grass, the wind blowing the soft _shaa_ of the grass. A huge sakura tree was in the center of it all, the same one she drew in her picture. Memories flooded her, especially of her brother, who was the one who showed her this place. She closed her eyes, remembering a particular one.

* * *

Flashback...

_"Hey washing-board, come over here!" her friend called. Hiroki was 14-years-old and she happened to bring her team to come and eat lunch at what she called Sakura Meadow. It was late spring, and the blossoms were raining down in a flurry of pink petals. she watched hilariously as her Uchiha friends pick the pink off of their dark hair. The particular reason they called her washing-board was for the reason that she was flat-chested. Hearing the name, she stormed off to the boy and smacked him in the head, her face furious._

_"You! I swear, Jun, if you call me that one more time, I'll KILL you!" Hiroki yelled at him while the boy was suppressing the urge to laugh. The other one, who was also an Uchiha, snickered and concentrated on eating his bento._

_"Yeah, whatever, Ms. Flat-chesty. Just eat your lunch!" Jun said and smiled mischievously as he saw steam rising from her head._

_"What? You said not to use that particular name! So, I chose another one. See, Takeo is laughing, he agrees too!" He smiled nonchalantly and stuffed a piece of egg roll into his mouth. Hiroki realized her efforts were for vain and just breathed slowly, trying to manage to eat. The two boys were just teasing her, but they got along very well. Hiroki, was the one with the strongest Sharingan, so the boys made an effort to piss her off or belittle her. Hiroki minded that she was indeed flat as a board despite the other girls being C-cup already. It made it even worse_ _that the boys pointed out the differences._ I swear they probably have brain damage for how many welts I've given them on their heads... _Still, she was happy because she was always on the top. The three Uchiha children enjoyed their lunch under the bright skies and shower of sakura._

Fast forward...

* * *

Hiroki chuckled deeply and smiled. She was the most flat-chested girl when she was little. Because she was a late bloomer, it didn't start developing until she was 16. In around 4 years, which was now, she had become around a B-C cup. Still, she wasn't as busty as others if she compared, thanks to her naturally small frame. She laughed at their faces when they couldn't call her that name anymore. She missed them desperately, for it was her team, her group, the ones that were taught and loved beside her. Her brother was the sensei, despite him doing secret missions as an undercover ANBU. Sometimes, Hiroki would tag along and they'd make a game out of it. _Haha, how many idiots can you kill? Hey, look, I got 5, now you better_ _catch up!_ It went along the lines of something like that. But, she saw her friends faces when they were told she was a traitor. They didn't believe her even when she tried to prove the authorities wrong. She could see the heart break in their eyes, and then the coldness that meant they were no longer on her side. It was the day before she killed herself. Hiroki smiled sadly as she nibbled on a rice ball. After the small lunch, Hiroki fell asleep underneath the Sakura. The sound of the leaves and the grass rustling softly in the wind lulled her sleep. When she woke up, it was nearly dark. Once again, she felt utterly stupid for losing track of her nap... Rising quickly, she hobbled past the field and into the forest, which was growing ever darker form the setting sun. She cursed for not bringing a weapon or two, scared that she might get ambushed by the Senju or something. Fortunately, she made it to town without any stalkers, or any that she wasn't aware of, and limped quickly up the hill, breathing heavily after the rushed walk. It was completely dark now, he only light coming from the houses. Seeing the light coming from Madara's home, she assumed the brothers were home already. Her stomach quivered. _Oh god, what if they think I got_ _kidnapped or something?! _Hiroki gulped and tentatively entered the house. She stepped in and smiled in greeting. She felt Izuna's eyes bore into her.

"You just disappeared! I was reallty getting worried." Izuna exclaimed and stared at her with intense eyes. _Just as I_ _expected..._

Madara was behind him, is eyes completely dark with anger. She held up her hands in defense and retreated to the dinner table, where the food was already cold with waiting. She mentally scowled at herself for letting them worry. She didn't have to wait. Madara scowled at her and she braced for his insults. When it didn't she looked at him for an explanation. He was expressionless, but his eyes were skeptical.

"First, let me give you chance to explain... I'm sure you have good reason." Madar said, his voice was normal, as if anything never happened. Hiroki breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was in a certain place of mine, one I particularly like to enjoy. I fell asleep and lost track of time. It took around an hour back." It was all she said she could see Madara's face contemplating something. He turned to her. The insults came.

"You Idiot! You lost track of time again... And, and hour? That means you were far away from the village and Uchiha, what if you got captured?! And that leg of yours, you shouldn't be moving in the first place..."

"And you got the food all cold."

Hiroki was silent.

"We were all ready to admit you were probably dead."

"I wasn't even going to go after you."

It was a big deal since she was someone necessary to the clan... even if it was partially a lie... Madara calmed down and sat beside Hiroki. Izuna sat down as well, eying his brother. Apparently, he doesn't usually outburst like that. _Hehe...that means Madara really cares for Hiroki!_ Izuna thought. The meal was cold and silent. It wasn't bad, but the tension was very thick in the air, you could almost see the air burst with the waves coming off of the fuming Madara. Everyone was dismissed and Hiroki crawled to her room, staring out the window. It was awhile before she heard Madara come to carry her to the roof as usual. She heard a knock at her door.

"Come in" Hiroki said. Madara entered and stood beside her at the window.

"Need a lift? It seems you have trouble."

"No dip, Sherlock."

"Who's Sherlock?"

"Aish! Just get me on the damn roof!"

"No, seriously, who is this Sherlock? You often say his name."

"He's someone I met in heaven, now, go!"

* * *

**Chapter 4 END :** Hmm... Do I sense some sort of drama?!

* * *

**PLEASE READ**:_ **For those of you that have read Chapter 3 before June 12, 2013, Please reread it !** _I have changed some crucial facts due to a thankful reviewer! I am very grateful to :** xGuiltyXGigglesx03**, **crazyuser**, **kiki8o**, **nekochan354**, **amelme10**,** Sassi15**, and **LivingAnEverlastingDream** for reviewing, following, or favoriting my story so far! It has been very helpful for my story and to encourage me to continue writing! Thank You so much!

Loves, Rima-chan!


	5. Chapter 5: The Uchiha Council

_Hello! Thanks So Much! I've been happy with all that feedback! Please continue to do so! Love, Rima-chan. P.S. Make sure to write a review! :D_

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Uchiha Council**

Madara once again, in shining armor, rescued the princess and carried her to safety in his arms, a determined look on his face, the fair maiden admiring his hard work. Well, that is, if you consider a Japanese rooftop a safe castle and Hiroki to be an average female that needs to be rescued once in a while. Don't even mention the 'kiss' to bring her back to life. If, that is, she was dead in the first place. Yep. Not your average fairy tale. Just with the exception of an awkward but somewhat gentle prince who enjoys to be macho and a time traveling God-woman-princess. _This is an awkward_ _situation_. The both of them thought, remembering the weird moments at the same place last night. Hiroki coughed forcefully, trying to clear the silence. Madara shifted his weight and as always, stared at the moon. _I swear, he's just trying to be all macho of some sort..._ Hiroki noted once again. Madara tried to remember the last time he had a proper conversation with a girl, or tried to impress a woman. He recalled he'd never spoken or interacted with one except his mother. This time, Madara cleared his throat and coughed a couple times afterwards in awkward intervals until the sounds died out. He spoke after the ever imposing silence.

"Are you all healed? I'm tired of carrying you onto the roof. You seem to be getting heavier every day."

"It's fine. I'll be walking normally in a few days. What of yours?"

"Nothing seems wrong, but the wound on my chest started bleeding again." He responded. Hiroki, despite the awkwardness, stilled worried about other's health. She leaned in closer and pressed gently on his chest. He winced.

"Can you..." She motioned to pull apart his robe. He reluctantly opened his robe. Hiroki narrowed her eyes. The blood was already seeping through the bandages.

"I told you I'm not the best medic, in fact, quite shitty compared to others, but I at least sealed the skin and partially the muscle. I could tell it was a deep wound, so I warned you not to put strain on it. I'll re-heal and bandage it once we get inside." Hiroki said, voicing her concern as well as scolding him. Madara just looked away while she was examining and quickly covered himself once she was done. He felt a conviction in his throat when she leaned in, as if he couldn't breathe. He released the breath once she resumed her position away from him. He took a deep breath.

"Yesterday, you just got me kind of pissed. But I'm sorry." His tone was resentful, but Hiroki knew his words were sincere.

"No, it was my fault... I should've never had led the clan on." She repented and smile, turning to him. She held out a pinky, "Truce?" "Truce." Madara had eyed it with curiously before he held out his finger. They shook pinkies like children making a promise. After the small moment, Madara once again carried the princess back into the room, in which the one-legged princess proceeded to land stiffly and nearly knock herself down. Swiftly, the prince-knight caught her around the waist and handed her the wooden device in which served as her artificial leg. The damsel then, who was surprised by the speed of her savior, silently thanked the knight and proceeded to walk by herself. Madara then sat down off to the side of the room while Hiroki got out her supplies. She sat down in an awkward manner; first leaning backwards and touching the ground to steady herself, then sat on her bottom, tucking in her right leg but splaying her left to prevent straining the already taut, healing skin. Madara simply took off his shirt and waited while she prepared. Hiroki removed the bandages and took a look at the wound. Madara avoided eye-contact and instead looked to side where her observed her room once again. His eyes lingered to his picture and winced as he felt the sting of rubbing alcohol.

"Hmph. You're lucky it didn't fester." Hiroki muttered under her breath as she felt him flinch at the disinfection. She continued to seal and apply ointment to the cut, then bandaged tightly once again. Madara stood up and thanked her. Hiroki smiled and stood up as well.

"This time, listen to my warning when I say don't strain it too much. It should heal in a few days so it'll be fine!" Hiroki said. Madara huffed and began to exit the room.

"Good night." Hiroki said. "Mmmph" was the response. Hiroki chuckled to herself, smiling inwardly. Madara did his usual check-up on Izuna and then entered his room. With a huff, he crawled into bed, thinking of several things. Mostly of the previous night's conversation. He felt his chest, where her expert fingers had done their handiwork. He fell asleep, thinking of the girl who had somehow entered his thoughts so easily.

* * *

A week passed. As usual, Madara and Hiroki shared their private talks on the roof. With each moment, they gotten even closer, just they did not realize. After the usual silent meal, Hiroki jumped onto the roof, finally free of the ridiculous wooden crutch. Madara no longer had to carry her. Hiroki was glad of the riddance, for she no longer had more debts to pay to the man. Or rather, she didn't like being quite so close with him. She suspected this off-personality was not his true self... though her heart said otherwise. Inside, Hiroki knew it was the real Madara, but she was scared at the thought of the Madara in which she always depicted. She was afraid to fall in love. The fact that he was so similar to her brother made it worse...

With the few days before the Council, Hiroki finally had time to do her wanderings without the burden of her leg. Madara and Izuna didn't suspect anything, though quite curious of where she went. Of course, if they found out...she would probably be scolded until she went deaf by, ahem, your majesty, the almighty Madara-sama. The certain place she was visiting, she found something quite amusing...er, someone. She made her way to the river, because it reminded her of her brother, the only other place besides Sakura Meadow, and wasn't too far away. One particular day, however, when she was eating rice balls by the bank, she happened to meet a person. She was skipping rocks, and the familiar slap of rock against skin caused her to look up. There he was, the infamous man. He was tossing the rock up and down softly against the palm of his hand, eventually throwing in high up in the air and swiping his hand out to catch the rock. The man smiled and held it up. "Does this magnificent specimen of mineral happen to be in your possession?" the voice said. Hiroki stared at the man, half mortified. He spoke.

"So we meet again?" Hiroki continued to stare round-eyed. She recognized him as Hashirama. She coughed and began to speak, only to find that, embarrassingly, she was too nervous to formulate the words in her mouth. He began laughing in a robust manner at the girl who was hilariously murmuring incoherently to herself. Hiroki just watched curiously at the to-be first Hokage. Seeing him as he was right then, he was quite young and not yet ready for that title. Finally, she sighed and let her heart slow down. Hiroki and formally bowed in greeting. The Senju looked at her in disbelief. "Huh? An Uchiha bowing to _me_? Most strange!" He said. Hiroki simply smiled kindly and introduced herself.

"Hello. My name is Hiroki. I'm sure you know who I am, but, please, I mean no harm despite my reputation." Indeed, word had spread to several other clans as well, and the Senju did not take it to light. Neither did they regard it as much importance or life-threatening. If she could not best Madara, there was no way she could possibly best Hashirama or the Senju. They had no idea that Hiroki knew of the future however. It was Madara who only knew... and it seems in the coming meeting he may share so with the clan elders. She was beginning to worry that they might figure out the truth. If so, the clan would regard her as liar but also try to leech all the information out of her. No doubt that would be harsh. She would have to speak with Madara.

"Well, I'd never thought I'd see the godly presence myself, I'm truly blessed. Alright, I won't harm you as well, you don't look that dangerous." Hiroki was not sure if that was an insult or a compliment. She released much of her tension.

"I'm glad. I do not wish to hurt you. But, I will if I have to. They will probably force me to." She spoke of the Uchiha. Hashirama nodded and bounded over the river to her side. He formally greeted her and shook her hand. Hiroki smiled genuinely, and she felt a tad more comfortable.

"If that is so, then the same for me as well. I hope I do not harm you... you _do_ look quite fragile. Well! Then, let's put aside our differences and be friends." Once again, she was not sure to see that as insult or friendliness. Despite her inner Madara yelling at her not to go any farther and get the hell out of this situation, she waved him away and smiled at Hashirama, nodding. He broke into a wide grin, his eyes sparkling. _Well, he's much more approachable than _that_ guy_. Hiroki thought to herself. Even if Madara had an inner kindness, he was always still cold outside of their talks. She was quite reminded of a turtle when she thought of his personality. At the slightest of possibility that Hiroki had breached into his personal emotions of sort, he would tuck his gentleness inside his shell, and resume the hard outer of himself once again. She chuckled silently at her clever, but amusing comparison. Hashirama babbled on about himself, telling her of his little brother and all that he's lost. Hiroki realized that Madara and Hashirama were more alike than they realized, but their personalities were like light and dark.

"I had an older brother too. He sacrificed himself for me." Hashirama's eyes widened. Hiroki smiled painfully.

"Oh, that must of been tough, you had nobody else..." Hiroki had told him of her nonexistent family. A thick lump formed in her throat when the memories passed in her head. She could almost hear her brother gently laughing and putting flower crowns on her head and her picking the cherry blossom petals from his hair.

"Yeah. He was the greatest. But his will lives bright in me." Hiroki said sadly. By now, the two had sat down and were sharing the lunch Hiroki had brought. She had offered a pickled plum onigiri, and he gratefully took it and chomped down. He complimented her skills. She'd rather not mention it was actually made by Izuna.

"Hmm, if you were not born inside the village with the other Uchiha, where are you from? It's not common for one to be outside of their clans." Hashirama asked. Hiroki could not respond.

"Sorry, I cannot say. The Gods say I have to keep it a secret." Hiroki smiled. Hashirama asked no more, still confused, but silenced his thoughts. He slipped a hand into the river, the water rushing past his fingers.

"What do you think of Madara?" Hashirama asked. Hiroki looked at him curiously. An image of a scowling Madara came to mind, but then the soft-eyed Madara came to mind as well.

"Well...he's interesting. He's two-faced, shall I say," Hiroki began, Hashirama looked at her intently, "One side of him is really enclosed, reaaaally arrogant and keeps this hard shell around him. The other side... is surprising. That part of him is like my brother. I bet you'd be surprised, because he's actually really kind." Hashirama laughed at her explanation.

"You say it like you actually like him!" He said, and Hiroki flushed, denying his words.

"No! He's too selfish to love anybody besides his own face! He even gloats in front of me! That, or he secretly likes his brother." she said, making a face at the thought of Madara and her. Hashirama laughed even louder, and Hiroki couldn't help but smile.

"True words...but who knows, I've never heard of Madara being kind to anyone. You're the first girl he's talked to, you know. He likes you but you don't know it..." Hashirama said, waggling his eye-brows and Hiroki once again made a face. He looked at her expression and smirked.

"I don't know...he isn't someone I'd consider. But, I'd say we are close in a weird relationship of sorts. The future is unknown with me..." Hiroki said, smiling. Hashirama looked at the horizon and stood up.

"It looks like we should head back to our respective places...before we get into trouble. It was nice talking to you. The next time we maybe crossing swords. Farewell." Hashirama said and Hiroki bowed to him in good-bye. Hashirama smiled and jumped across the river. Hiroki looked at the retreating form of Hashirama one last time and turned to head back to the house. She thought back to their conversation_. Thump. Eh? What's this..._Hiroki tried to deny the fact that her heart raced whenever she thought about Madara.

* * *

Dinner was silent. Hiroki retreated quietly to her bedroom. After a few deep breaths, she jumped onto the roof where Madara was waiting. He smiled as she approached.

"Tomorrow is your great council meeting!" Madara said. Hiroki groaned in protest.

"I really don't want to be in front of those people. They look at me between dark eyes...it's...disturbing." Hiroki remembered the stares of the members, like they were using her. Indeed, it was rare for a woman to be shinobi, and for one to have the sharingan. They saw her skills, and even if it didn't surpass those of Madara, it still was adequate enough to defeat many of them. _I must not let them find out about the truth._

"Madara-san," she asked gingerly, "Hmm?" "Well, can you keep it a secret that I'm not actually here to defeat the Senju? And that I know of your future? They may try to hurt me in order to gain that information." Hiroki desperately wanted to tell Madara the truth for the guilty feeling in her heart, but she would lose all trust in him and the clan. Madara looked at her funny, suspecting that she was not was he thought her of, from some unknown force. But, he respected her decision. It was also because if he found out about the truth, Madara feared that his relationship with the girl would be broken. He nodded.

"Of course. I understand. But, I will not lie to my clansmen as well. If they ask me, I will respond. Otherwise, I will not mention it." Relief spread across Hiroki's face and she let loose her pent up breath. Madara went on to explain what was to be expected of her tomorrow.

"Whatever you do, don't let them see any weakness. If you are a godly presence, act like it. But, don't be arrogant. Listen to what they say and speak accordingly. They see no more than a tool or weapon in war. That is why you must not let that get to your head." Hiroki felt as if she was no more than a tool. She was here for whatever reason the Gods sent her for, but she had no idea. The only thing in mind was for her to benefit Madara.

* * *

The next morning, Madara handed her a box. Hiroki looked at it curiously before accepting it.

"Change into it after breakfast. Come down to eat about now." He said and started off downstairs. Hiroki took the box shoved hastily at her and opened it. Surprise ran through her mind. It was clothing. A kimono to be exact. Apart from a casual robe, it was a bit more fancy, a light, dusky pink, with a simple pattern of cherry blossoms. There was a small hair pin in the front, with pearls and flowers. She smiled at the gift, even though she knew it was meant for today's purposes only. Hearing a yell from the dining table, she realized she'd been standing there admiring the kimono. She rushed down to eat her meal.

It was silent and quick as usual. Hiroki rushed up to change quickly, seeing that it was important to look the best. (Just like a woman...I know). Hiroki looked at the kimono before her. She took it out of the box and felt a heavy object weigh down it's folds. She looked in-between the fabric to see a small dagger. It was a good enough knife to kill someone if aimed carefully and small enough to be concealed beneath clothing. Just for safe measures, Hiroki strapped her own smaller katana on her back and the dagger at her ankle.

The kimono wasn't as tight to define the small bulge of the weapons but fit her body correctly. She then tied the sash in a bow and put her back hair up in a bun with the hair pin. She looked in a small hand mirror. _I look strange. Too_ _formal._ Hiroki denied at the fact that she looked quite nice. Her brother never really said anything about her appearance and she had no reason to take notice of it. She was a shinobi and an assassin. It was best not to get noticed, to blend in, be as conforming as you can. With her nice clothes and neat appearance, it is obvious that she would stand out from a crowd of black-clothed Uchiha. Hiroki stepped out of her room and saw Izuna. He was also dressed more formally, donning a dark navy robe. He turned to see Hiroki and smiled a wide grin.

"You look very nice!" Izuna said and Hiroki smiled. " You are very handsome as well, Izuna-san!" Izuna and Hiroki were quite close of age, maybe a few months apart. But, Hiroki was the older one, and Izuna treated her as an upperclassman. Hiroki treated Izuna as her equal, however, knowing the strength of the amazing two brothers. Izuna blushed at the comment and looked away. Hiroki laughed at his expression. Seeing her giggle, Izuna broke a few chuckles as well.

"What's with this robust behavior?" The two turned to see a stern faced Madara. Even if his tone was hard, his eyes twinkled with amusement as well. They both smiled at him, spontaneously. He looked back and forth between the two. His eyes turned to Hiroki. He nearly felt his ears go red. Izuna saw the expression on his brother's face for a second, and smiled devilishly to himself. Hiroki saw that Madara was wearing the same as his brother except it was black. "Waste no time, let's go." The three headed out to the Council. Madara was leading, Izuna at his right side. Hiroki walked a bit slower.

The residents greeted them as usual, and they complimented Hiroki's looks, who in return blushed and thanked them kindly. It was mostly men who did so. Madara scowled inwardly at her behavior and of his men. He walked slower to ensure she was by his side. Izuna smirked at the action. It took a few minutes to reach the building. It looked grand, with rising towers and a beautiful structure. The meeting room was just as extravagant. The members, Hiroki noticed, were all men. They cast long glances at her direction. The stares made her shiver. She wanted to crawl under Madara's wing and bury herself within a hole. Hiroki swallowed a lump and held her chin high, resuming high authority. Madara sat at the head, with Izuna on his right and a chair placed at the left for Hiroki. She sat and tried to straighten her back, though she was not used to the posture and not for so long. She wanted to slump in the padded chair, and cross her legs, throwing her arms over the sides. Madara noticed her strained expression.

"You look like you don't want to be here. Relax your face and seem more natural." Madara whispered. Hiroki unknitted her eyebrows and let out a small sigh, smiling a bit. She relaxed her limbs. She could swear she felt like a puppet, with the members pulling at her strings, twisting and turning her mentally. She rubbed her sweaty hands on her knees, and saw that she might ruin the fabric. So, she just nervously rubbed her hands together and twiddled her thumbs underneath the table. Madara noticed and grabbed her right hand. He held her hand, despite his being warm and dry and Hiroki's being cold and clammy. He gave her a reassuring squeeze and looked over at her. Her face was calm but he could see the storm beneath her eyes. She gave him a warm smile and a squeezed back. He pounding heart ebbed as she felt Madara's strength flow into her.

Izuna smiled and grabbed his brother's right hand and gave a big squeeze. It was a joke but Madara gave him a look that was a cross between 'WTF are you doing?!', 'I feel you, my dear brother...I feel you.' Izuna grinned humorously and kept his hands to himself. Madara glanced one last time at the two of them and slid his hand from Hiroki's. He stood up and scanned his eyes through the members, his eyes undaunted, glowing with strength and authority over all. His vociferous voice boomed as he spoke, reigning across the room. Hiroki felt minuscule in his aura, like she was a small ant in which he could crush with his fingertips. She now saw what of a leader he was today, and the hard work in which he had given to take the title. Even if it was him after his father died, he was a natural born leader and had strove to be the top nevertheless.

"My fellow kinsmen. Today is a special occasion in which we have allowed a female to enter these confines." He gestured his hand to his left, "But the exception is a unique one. This woman is a skilled shinobi, has the Mangekyou, and is adept in medical ninjutsu. She is a useful person in today's world - one of war. These points are not usually found in one of her gender, hence the exception, but today that does not matter. Today's war discussion is centered around her abilities and what we can make use of the God's gift for us." Hiroki listened as Madara made Hiroki seem like a God in disguise of a mere girl. _He's lying for my sake.._. she repeated in her head, trying to get rid of the guild-ridden heart she felt pounding away in the crevice of her chest. It was true that the past's women had not much of a life of a shinobi. There were female nurses and medical ninjas, but none participated in the huge battles of blood and gore. The shinobi skill were taught to the men and left for the men. In her future at Konoha...life was different.

The girls were given every chance as the boys, and in her case, she was the best in her class and the most skilled, taught and loved by the infamous Uchiha Hikaru, undercover assassin. In the cover of a young teenager, she had slaughtered many rogue ninjas, missing ninjas, and much on the wanted list. The talented Uchiha siblings were ruthless with their Mangekyou. However the pain and punch she put in, she was the weaker one. No matter how hard she pushed, she could never surpass her brother. Hiroki gritted her teeth and accepted the fact. But she loved her brother too much to care, only when he passed away did her heart break. Left with the jagged pieces of her heart, it was further ground to dust when she was turned away by her clan, then her _nakama _(close friends like a sibling), and died with the secret of the Uchiha siblings. Madara continued.

"You all saw her fighting. It is most strange. A bit different from our traditional methods here, but she is skilled as most of you here." The men cast glances at Hiroki. Some were serious, some surprised, some without emotion or with a dark cast. "Then we shall take up the gift and use it graciously. Opinions on her skill and the war?" Madara sat down and small, hushed conversations started, all with the quick looks at Hiroki. She looked at each of them, trying to read their faces. She could see a dark intent in a few of them. One man spoke up. He looked experienced, though younger than most, and spoke with a proud voice.

"We should have her in the front lines, maybe battle with Hashirama or Tobirama. If her skill is as I saw and as you say, it should be enough to injure of strike down some of them Senju. Or, Madara-sama and the girl can lead the attack, and with your combined power could be enough to kick some sense into Hashirama." The man suggested, and murmurs erupted around the table, some with agreement, a few with skepticism. Hiroki thought of the plan. If she were to be a front-line, most likely she'd be killed first. They'd lose a precious weapon and she'd have to experience death a second time. Hiroki would die and be an insignificant part of the world. The Gods had sent her here not to die. Second, if she would to take on Hashirama with Madara, most likely she'd burden him with another life other than his brother. Madara is the only one to rival to Hashirama and she was nowhere near to a match. Hashirama probably would recognize her and she'd be in trouble...with her life on the line and Madara scolding her not to get close with the enemies...especially that man. She chuckled nervously and took a breath to speak.

"I have some counterarguments for your suggestion." Hiroki spoke. It came out louder than she expected and she swallowed. The whispers stopped and all heads turned to the higher pitched voice. "First: The frontlines can be for the strongest, but it is also for the man who wants to get killed first. Would you want to send your gift back to the heavens? That would be shameful for not using it correctly. I'd hate to die anyways. Second: Hashirama and Madara would be the most fitting, no other additives please. Madara-sama would have my life to weigh him him down, just another that he'd have to make sure not to kill, apart from all the other lives on the field." She hated using the formal address, but in this crowd, it was necessary otherwise they'd have the wrong ideas, " And this package has to be dealt with carefully. Third: My forte is not headstrong battle. I am meant to be a skilled assassin that kills her prey deftly and swiftly. I hide in the shadows and slit your throat when you are not looking." She said her last remark in the most threatening tone she could, mustering up all the courage to sound dangerous and not a force to be reckoned with_. _

_It's all a lie, all a lie, all a lie!_ She wanted to scream, but her being the stealth assassin was true. It was the reason why she was alarmed when she couldn't detect Madara's presence coming at her. Madara thought of her argument, and Izuna had an urge to stand up and clap. The members looked at her and swallowed. Hiroki held her chin high, even though she wanted to vomit her breakfast in front of her. She smiled softly and sat down, her hands shaking in her lap, though her straight back and casual frame said otherwise from her knocking knees. The man looked at her in awe and spoke once again.

"Then what do you want us to do, Heavenly-sama?" He asked, not knowing how to address her. His eyes were bold and looked straight at her, unwavering in her authority.

"Uh, you can call me Hiroki. Please, I don't like formal names much. We are all brother and sister in this clan of ours." She said kindly, smiling as she usually would. The man smiled back and felt pleased to see her kinder side.

"Ah! Then, Hiroki-san, what do you ask we may do." Hiroki nodded.

"Hehe! These are only suggestions. But wisdom comes from saying little and listening much. I have listened and these are my short words of opinion. Whether you choose to follow is simply what you may deem correct in your heart. But then again, a wise person listens much rather than speaks much. So, I think the best occupation for me is to be a sort of 'Secret Weapon'. I will step in at my deeming necessary. If for example, Madara-sama is dying and wounded, I will jump in and hack off Hashirama's head. Simple as that!" She said and did a chopping off motion with her hand. Hiroki glanced at Madara and Izuna. Izuna smiled brightly and nodded in agreement. Madara sat contemplating, his head bobbing slightly, thought she could see his amusement at her words. Behind his hand leaning thoughtfully against his mouth, she thought she saw a smile tug at the corners of his lips. Hushed whispers once again went around the room and she saw the bobs of the heads in agreement. The battle plan was set. Everything was to be the same, with Hiroki as their back-up assassin and stalker. Battlefield line-up was discussed next, along with the appointment of new rankings, and the current economy. Hiroki paid little attention to the discussion but admired Madara as she saw his strong voice spoke over all the men. Izuna was a strong role as well, and he helped with Madara's leadership much.

She felt like she was watching them from behind, and she was simply a bystander, watching the work in progress of the two brother's unfold. _How could I have ever ended up here?_ Another reason for her as the 'Secret Weapon' was because she didn't want to get involved, and she was to be a shadow, simply following Madara. But she felt her heart flutter at the thought of their deaths, the tragic story that was before them. All she could think was , _I want to protect them. I will not let them die._ Hiroki wanted to save them. No matter the cost. I do not want to lose the people that I have learned to love. In the back of her mind, she could see Madara's face. A faint image that lasted not a mere moment, however. The meeting ended , and they stood up, stretching muscles and bones. Madara noticed a shady group in the back, whispering to each other and glancing at Hiroki with hard, black eyes.

Hiroki was behind a group of men shuffling out the front door, a few complimenting her looks and her speech, she was blushing and smiling. Madara and Izuna were in the back of the room, far from the entrance, but still watching her. Madara was irked at the fact she was so carelessly laughing and smiling in front of men. Suddenly, a katana whizzed past across the table from the whispering group of three men, in the back. It was aimed precisely at Hiroki's head. Madara could not react fast enough, for her only noticed it when it was near to killing her. _SHIT!_ was all he could think. He reached out to only see with a cold panic that he was too far away. Hiroki ducked just in time and caught it in front of her before it pierced another member's back. She whirled around and Madara saw her sharingan was a flaming red. The katana burst with wind, swirling dangerously around the blade. She jumped and did a twisting back flip in the air, sending the katana whizzing back at the attackers while in midair, running along the length of the table. By then, her Mangekyou was blazing. The blade struck the side of the attacker's head, cutting a small slit in his left ear. His eyes were wide open and the wind sliced his ear further. By the time he noticed, Hiroki was already staring at his face, and he let out a choked gurgle when her saw her flaming eyes. The men beside him stared at her in fear, lips quivering. Hiroki was outraged, her onyx eyes as cold as absolute zero. She pulled out the katana and the wall cracked. She hung it next to his face. Her voice felt like ice talons.

"Is this yours?" the man nodded subconsciously. The other men began to slide away from the man when Hiroki threw the katana into the air, slipped her own katana and dagger out from her back and dagger and threw them next to the men's faces, missing by a fraction of a centimeter. All before the katana fell down and she caught it. Every word dripped with venom, the katana flaring with the dangerous wind and her eyes hypnotizing their stares.

"Cowards. Bastards. Weaklings. Attacking someone from behind, even children know better than that. Trying to kill a girl, at that. Even more, any idiot who thought this was some sort of 'test', you sure know how to piss someone off who's trying to help you." The dagger stare made the men want to pee their pants. She slammed the katana down, shattering the blade and making a meter wide impression in the ground. The marble tile cracked in hairline fractures, the intricate pattern of vein-like cracks spread outwards from the broken katana. She went to her weapons embedded next to the men and pulled them out like a hot knife through butter. The wall crumbled away where she pulled out the blades. She tucked them back safely under her kimono. She walked away calmly, but then stopped and turned her head to speak one last time.

"I'll forgive you, so please, don't think of my actions. I don't hold grudges within my kin." She smiled gently, her tone normal, but she narrowed her eyes and they flared again, " But if you dare to do so again...I'll personally maim you slowly, ripping you limb by limb. Then, I'll hang your torso by your neck, hung by your own intestines." Hiroki crackled wind-chakra around her hand to add to the effect. She whipped her head back around and strode out, leaving the attackers breathless and choking on their death sentences. Madara smirked smugly and walked out behind her. Izuna followed by his brother's side, sharing a look with him that said 'I think we'd better not piss her off now...'. Her eyes swirled back to normal, and she saw new found respect in the members eyes as she strode past them. A few of them smiled in approval. She smiled back, all traces of her hostility replaced by gentle eyes and a warm smile.

It was all false however. She would've died it weren't for that she saw Madara's panicked face in her peripheral vision. Hiroki had no idea what she was doing, the words and her tone just tumbled out of her mouth like a waterfall, her entire façade natural motions she would use back when she was with her brother. She had learned to smile and laugh as if nothing was wrong in front of people even if she felt like she was going to cry. Her brother always knew her real emotions...she could never understand how nor could she do so with other people. Hikaru Uchiha was just a master of all trades. Hiroki and the two brothers walked side by side down the street to the tall castle where she lived. This time, the princess happened to save herself, the prince knight simply watched as the mistress courageously defeated the enemies. The knight in shining armor was awestruck at her bravery and fell into an ever deeper pit, one in which made his heart pound with a strange feeling...

* * *

**Chapter 5 END**: Princess Hiroki defeats the attackers, and poor Prince Madara could do nothing but watch open mouthed... :D

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ _Thank You SO MUCH! Thanks for all my support so far and I would like to say a big thanks to: _**MaxFlyFan **_and _**Animelady 22**_, and all the previous mentioned! And to all that viewed and to all my friends for reading... Especially to : The one and only Asian who stalks people (I'm kidding, I'm kidding :D) and the amazing Adopted Asian who's actually a Mexican. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE...LOVE YOU ALL! Love, the Asian-Sensation, Rima-chan! P.S. By the way...I'm just asking...but do you think I'm going too fast with the feelings and all? Hehe write what you think in a review! :D _


	6. Chapter 6: Bloodstained Thoughts

_Hello once again! How are you all doing? Thank you for all the support so far! Continue to write reviews and such! Love, Rima-chan Nom Nom, ;D_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Bloodstained Thoughts**

The silence that came was deafening. Well, it seemed like Madara and Izuna were just speechless. Hiroki walked on, her inner storm still raging on, not a ray of light in sight. The two brothers finally had nerve to comment on her performance.

"It was an interesting show... though I advise you not to be hostile with any of them ever again. They earned it this time, and the others would've learned from their mistakes. It is best you keep you appearance in public diminished." Madara said and Hiroki was still wordless. It wasn't that she couldn't respond, it was out of her own choice. She did find her voice eventually.

"I understand. I'll try to limit my comings to these meetings all little as possible. They are quite boring. I ask that you not make any decisions concerning me without my consent. I will be present at all battles and such as what we discussed today." Hiroki said and the rest of the walk home was silent. Despite her efforts to make herself seem dangerous enough, the brothers saw it as something she shouldn't do. Hiroki simply wanted to make them not suspect her of anything...or try to. Hiroki's inner battle raged on. Her outside appearance was a woman. A female. And in this age, they are insignificant, trivial. She had wanted to prove them wrong and make herself clear that she was not to be questioned. On the inside, she knew it was a lie. Despite the fact that she was indeed a stealth assassin and could probably chop off all their heads in a blink of an eye, excluding Madara and Izuna, they would kill her before she could move a finger. She wanted to hide, to make her existence unknown, doing her deeds in silence and shadow, indeed exactly like an assassin. If her goal was to aid Madara and his brother, she would do so without the suspicions and looks of the Council hounding at her feet. It was indeed a lie. What she said completely contradicted what she felt inside her heart. _Oh, my brother, I hope you are_ _watching me, I beg you, please help me here_. Hiroki prayed, wishing that her brother would've never died. Hiroki entered the house and slipped quietly into her room. She stripped the pretty cloth, unstrapped her weapons, and took a hot bath to relax her tense muscles. Her feet were sore from walking in the limited space the kimono provided, in the small steps that made her walk double what she normally would. Hiroki sighed and dipped her head underneath the water, hoping to wash away her stress. When she emerged, she felt indeed refreshed. Placing a smile on her face, she walked to eat dinner. Madara and Izuna were waiting, Madara with his usual stoic aura, and Izuna with his kind and bubbly exterior. The meal was not entirely silent, there was a bit of conversation on the meeting and upcoming events, in which to Hiroki's groans, was more War Councils and such. The big battle was upcoming in perhaps two months, and Madara had business to attend with the other clans. Izuna would mostly accompany him but they would both be gone. Hiroki was to be left with her own duties. After the small but satisfying meal, Hiroki jumped onto the roof to see that Madara was doing the same from his window. Without any greeting, she flopped down onto the hard tiles with a loud clack. Madara sat down carefully at her side. Hiroki stared hard at Sirius, where her brother was believed to be watching over her. She did a quick prayer and closed her eyes, imagining she was talking to her brother...

* * *

Hiroki was standing in her private dream, a spirit-like image of Hikaru before her. His face was stern as he warned her.

_"Hiroki...you know you can't just keep on lying to them like that. They'll eventually figure out that you know all about their shortcomings and you're actually from the future."_ Hikaru's image said, scolding her gently. Hiroki frowned.

"I don't care. I'll try as hard as I can right now. I'm trying to make them scared of me." Hiroki said to him. Hikaru did a _tsk tsk tsk_ and shook his ghostly head.

_"My dear little sister... you have so much to learn...You are saying us Uchiha are dumbasses and think that you, a measly little girl who claims to be from heaven will save them all. Trust me. They'll believe you after that little show you had today... but in time they will start to have suspicions if not already. That was the cause of you attack if you didn't know, dear Hiroki. It shames me I didn't teach to think quicker of your actions_." Hikaru said, his tone in a sad, shameful way. His spirit head bobbed side to side. Hiroki couldn't speak, she was taken aback.

"They won't suspect anything as long as Madara is on my side. I know he won't let me down." Hiroki countered. As much as she hated having to rely on Madara, there really wasn't any other option, and he was the closest to her. Hikaru smiled, a glint in his death stare.

_"Ahh, Madara... Didn't you think that he quite resembled me? Is he your older brother now? Or is it that you've fallen in love and don't want to admit it? Come on now, you know that his gentleness wasn't just to be nice. He likes you too. My beautiful sister isn't just for display now,_ _aren't you?"_ Hikaru smirked in his icy way, his spirit body twisting around Hiroki's until his head was on her left shoulder, his icy fingers wrapped around her frame. Hikaru stared accusingly at Hiroki and even it was her mind, she felt her face go red. Hikaru continued to twist the wound.

_"Now, I believe you said your little princeling was going to save you, now is that right? In return, what are you going to give him? What did I teach you? Never accept anything you know you'll never pay back. You just accepted his help in a hundred-fold. He allowed you to live with him and his brother. He kept your secrets. He was actually being nice and kind and gentle with you. And now, he's going to be on your side and prevent the evil Council members from torturing you and twisting you to get the answers you hold so precious. Now, don't you think_ _he'll want_ _something in return?"_ Hikaru placed his hands under her chin, and whispered into her ear, _"He'll take your innocence...and he'll gladly make it as painful for you as possible, just as long as he gets the pleasure of stealing that last piece of purity from you."_ Hiroki was dead cold, she wanted to scream and kick and punch the Hikaru-spirit. The images raced through her head, things that made her blood turn to ice. Most of them included Madara in such a way her stomach digested itself in queasiness. The Hikaru vanished into thin air, leaving Hiroki fear stricken and the mental conversation faded away.

* * *

Hiroki found herself back on the roof, with Madara sitting by her side. As he smiled at her, she found herself looking away in disgust, remembering the haunting words of her brother. She had conjured up his conversation, she had been the one to make Hikaru say those things. Hiroki realized that it's what she would want her brother to scold her for, what she wanted him to say those horrible things, all to convince her to not fall in love with that man. It was already enough that they were close as good friends who known each other all their lives. If Hiroki went past her boundary, her secrets would unfold one by one, and her true self would be exposed.

She would have to see that look of disbelief in their eyes again, only this time...it would hurt so much more. Madara was the only person outside of her brother that she'd let close to her. Even her best friends would not go past the boundary of teammate. She was falling in love with the man she feared to do so. Even if her imaginary brother's words weren't true, she knew that she mustn't rely on him. So Hiroki did the only thing she could.

She locked up her feelings, emotions, and sentiments related to 'loving a man'. She would not let any of them get her caught. So she put on a fake smile and turned to Madara, who smiled in return as he usually would and resumed the conversation between them. They talked into the night about the war and battle, of their opinions and thoughts about it, and shared the few words. All the while, Hiroki was careful not to let her emotions show. She pushed back the pleasure of being with Madara in her heart until it was nothing more than two close friends sharing similar views on a topic. Madara noticed her change of action, he said nothing of it, for he thought she might be listening to his word and being more careful. He felt somewhat uneasy however, that she would be careful around him. Like, he wanted her to be more open to him. The feeling was faint, just a tiny conscious in his mind, and faded quickly at it appeared.

* * *

The days and nights passed like time was sand passing through outstretched fingers. Hiroki was very aware of how Madara was becoming more and more different, from casual gestures to more smiles and friendly eyes. Madara could not stop the fact that the girl intrigued him. He was aware of her secrets and vowed to keep them, but there was the mysterious side that nobody knew, and it drew him in like a magnet.

Hiroki kept herself under control, acting as if she was unaware of his feelings. Madara knew inside that he had begun to like her, but there was a part of him, the cold, hard part of him that wanted to deny it , to shut her out like the rest of all the women. That part of him wanted only to leech off of her like a bloodthirsty hound searching for game. That part put his own evil intentions above the rest of his feelings. It wasn't most of his self-conscious, but enough that it made him partially doubtful of his decisions. He was still unsure of his true feelings and did not know whether to call it love or not. Hiroki was also mindful of his dubiousness and took it to her own advantage to keep him at bay, prevent him from crossing further boundaries. So their own minds kept them from being anything other than two close friends who shared a house with the little brother and spent the nights on a rooftop listening to the other talk about blood and war.

Hiroki went to the dreaded councils, and it was the same old, same old. This was her 7th already. She was there just to approve or disapprove of their plans on the battlefield. She gave suggestions and opinions to correct any mistakes. Madara corrected her when it was unreasonable. The battle was decided. Madara had to leave in 3 days to talk with the Sarutobi clan leader. They were apparently our allies. Hiroki remembered the 3rd Hokage being a Sarutobi, he was the current when she died. He was indeed kind of the Uchiha, but all of them still regarded them as a stranger, and if they did anything funny, their heads would be lopped off. Hiroki dreaded the long meetings and seldom came. By the 5th meeting, she had given up trying to sit straight and her hands folded neatly at her lap all through. She was curious to how Madara and Izuna could do it all the time. Hiroki sat in the chair, leaning back, casually, her hand leaned against her face lazily, listening to the members and felt as if she were watching cows graze in a field. Once, by accident, she yawned quite loudly, disrupting one person, by the time she realized her mistake, the members were already noting her boredom. Madara scowled deeply, his eyebrows knitted together so fiercely she thought it might've been just part of his face. She immediately apologized softly, mumbling and looking away embarrassed, her face red. They all kind of chuckled at her red face and ears and resumed the point of conversation. In the three days before Madara departed, Hiroki actually decided to treat him a bit kinder, letting her natural gentleness with him out just a bit. Since they were closer than Hiroki had ever thought to begin with, she decided to show him the one place she loved most. It was his last day and she thought it would be nice to have something nice to think of while off in political matters and bloody affairs.

The morning of his last day, Hiroki woke up as usual and ate breakfast as usual. Madara and Izuna were home to prepare for the 2 week trip. Izuna was to leave a day after Madara, departing to another affair, but they would be home at the same time. Seeing as it was Madara's nature, he had prepared most of his items already the few days before. It was after breakfast that she had asked him to come with her. He looked at her with surprise. Her, asking him to go out...almost like a date. He shrugged and said why not. Hiroki smiled and packed plenty of Izuna's onigiri for lunch. The two headed off to the place unknown to Madara.

"Just follow me." Hiroki smiled and began to jump on top of roofs, bouncing along the pattern of the streets, except away from the ground. Madara looked at her with disbelief and sighed as he jumped after her, pedestrians staring at the duo in great wonder. Hiroki soon entered the woods, where she scaled up a tree and easily passed from one branch to another, Madara hot on her heels.

The two went into the forest, past the stream, past the Mountain, and finally the trees spaced out and altogether stopped. Hiroki slowed her pace and descended onto the ground, hitting the springy green grass with a crunch. Sakura Meadow this time of year was beautiful. The cherry blossoms were in full and rained down from the huge, sprawling tree in the center of the vast field. The pink was carried through the wind, flying into both their heads of hair. The grass was vibrant and vivid, full of life, wildflowers dotting the meadow. It was a small meadow in the midst of the forest, one Hikaru happened to chance on. He showed his sister the beautiful field, and she showed her dearest of friends, the closest of people she trusted. Madara stared in wonder at the sight. He recognized the tree from the drawing in her room. He walked slowly, the wind swaying his long locks, entangling the pink petals into his raven hair. It was a striking contrast with the dark color.

He looked back at Hiroki, a look of awe on his face. Hiroki grinned and ran into the field, forgetting her pain and locked up feelings and just threw her arms into the air, spinning wildly until she grew dizzy, falling over and sending puffs of wildflower petals showering her face. She closed her eyes and felt the shapes move back and forth, her mind eventually evening out her senses. She felt Madara lay next to her beneath the branches in a partial shade. It was silent for a long time, until she looked over to see the peaceful face of Madara. He looked like a child. So innocent, with a relaxed face and only the gentle lines of his face. She examined every detail, from the creases in his eyelids to the faint laugh-lines around his mouth. Her heart jumped in surprise as his right eye, the one facing her, opened a bit and stared straight at her. She gasped as she realized Madara had just caught her staring at him. His usual bangs parted to the right covered his eye, but it was pushed back when he lie down. He smirked at her 'Oh crap.' expression and Hiroki turned away, hiding her red face.

"Tell me of yourself. I never really got to hear about your family." Madara asked, twirling a stem of a daisy with one hand, plucking it's petals one by one from its golden center. Hiroki considered what to say and finally spoke.

"You know about my deceased parents right? They died when I was not able to remember them. But my brother and others close to me told me about them. My father was a skilled shinobi. He was strong and fast, with a bright smile and kind eyes, I was told. And my mother was very pretty. She was a medical ninja, which explains my talent for that naturally as well. I was not as great as her, but sufficient enough. She was a medicine god. Any poison and she'd find a cure. Any wound, scrape, bruise, she'd heal it up. That's how my parents fell in love. They got married young, my mother 19 and my father 20. They had my brother soon afterwards, and then me 5 years later." She said, remembering the words of her grandmother, who had disapproved of their early marriage, but then accepted after she saw their tremendous love of one another. Hiroki smiled, picturing the pictures of the two.

"It was said I looked exactly like my mother. I have her face and body. But they said my personality resembled that of my father. Eager for everything, ready to take on the world, strong and always willing to do anything for the ones he loved. My brother looked a lot like my mother too, but he had his tall, sturdy frame. His personality was like my mothers, they said." Hiroki continued, not sure if she was still the same person after the traumatizing events. Madara noted that the aspects in which she said about herself were true, but went on in his head about much more. _Well, she's cautious and superstitious, even paranoid at sometimes. She's always trying to find some way to keep everyone away from her, and she likes to be annoying. Especially when she goes off on her own without telling anybody anything and just does everything on her_ _accord,_ _never listening to anyone..._ Hiroki then delved deep into the countless memories to sum up her brother.

"My brother. He's someone who I will always cherish in my heart. He will always watch over me from his star. He died just a few months ago. Madara, you know about the Eternal Mangekyou, correct?" Hiroki asked. Madara bristled, but replied yes.

"Then you know that in order to gain so, one must give up a set of Mangekyou eyes to the other. My brother gave me his eyes. Seeing that it was he was useless blind, he...sacrificed himself and put it as suicide. That was true. He...made himself...useful for me. We were both beginning to feel the effects of the Mangekyou, and I'm sure you have as well." Hiroki said, and Madara felt a cold shiver run through him. _How does she know this about me? _He listened.

"Other than the fact that my brother died just like that...he was a very good person to me. He was the one who showed me this place, and the one who was my brother, the one I loved, and like a father to me. He gave me things nobody could ever, he taught me, raised me, and gave me a purpose in life. I eventually realized what to do, for it was my brother who gave me it. You could say I'm pathetic, having to rely on Hikaru for everything. He was my teacher, he taught me every skill I possess apart from medical ninjutsu, and even still, I am weaker than him. We were the siblings that nobody could match to, the assassins in secret. We held our daily lives normal as any other, but became killing machines at night. The ultimate Death Duo." she laughed at her teammate's name for the siblings, "But it all disappeared when he..." She did not want to finish that last sentence. She tried to choke back a lump growing in her throat.

"I'd rather be blind that lose the only one I had ever truly cared for." She said sadly, and blinked back the wetness from her eyes. Madara looked at her and felt pity for the girl. She had lost everything dear to her. But her telling her life story made him wonder about her even more. It suddenly became clear.

"I think I know why I've never heard of your infamous brother or you. I've never seen an Uchiha outside this clan in my life. And I'm sure that you weren't someone raised outside of it. It also explains why you know so much about me and my future." He said warily, looking dead in her eye. His tone was serious, and Hiroki choked on the truth. _Oh no. He's found out..._ Madara did not relent.

"You are not of this era. It could be...you are from the time after me?" Hiroki turned away quickly, not responding. It only made Madara more sure of his suspicions.

"You are not here to defeat the Senju, but rather, somehow was sent back to my time by the Gods. You know what will happen to all of us, don't you." His voice was deadly quiet, and almost accusing. Hiroki wanted to cover her ears and scream. She couldn't deny that he had found out the truth. Madara's impression of her and his feelings did not changes however. Only the fact that he knew a bit more about her, and was...a bit scared of her. It was because she held his future in her hands, and she knew all about him. His gaze softened. Hiroki trembled slightly but began to speak timidly.

"You are correct. I will not deny. I know all about you, the infamous Madara Uchiha. I am of your later clan. I beg you, keep this a secret. It is my biggest secret and I regret not guarding it a bit more carefully. Please, I am still the same person you know, just... I am not of this time." Hiroki said, her voice shaking. The last person she wanted her enemy was Madara. but her heart filled with relief as she saw the soft look on his face, not one of anger or cold hardness.

"I find it rather interesting. I am also quite curious to how famous I am. Tell me how the future goes. How well known am I in your time? I will also keep your secret. I promise I'll guard it with my life. I understand how important it is to you." Madara asked, his voice gentle. Hiroki breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled in a way that left him feeling curious.

"I will not tell you how your life will go nor any others. It is up to me to decide to change it or not. And maybe that sit the reason the Gods sent me here - to help you. I will tell you that you and Hashirama are very famous. You two are known for your epic battles and strong rivalry. You, sir, was my brother's idol. My brother was exactly like you, he shared your same beliefs and goals. He passed it down to me with his eyes. Madara, I also admired you... because it was interesting to see my older brother so obsessed with one's ideals. I was the one following him, and Hikaru followed you. So, indirectly, I was following you." Hiroki said. Madara grinned and felt satisfied about the answer. However, he felt strange about the part of Hashirama. But he concluded that is where his great strength and battle came to fame. Hiroki watched humorously as Madara smile with a proud smirk. She laughed to herself and saw Madara stare at her. She just thought him like a peacock waddling around boasting it's magnificent feathers, until something bigger came around to eat it.

"Gloat all you want, there's nothing to be proud of." She said, thinking about the part of him also being well known for getting killed by the man he despised the most. Hiroki thought she'd rather not mention that part. Hiroki sighed again at her own stupidity. She had just let the one man she'd rather not, know her secret. Now he knew everything about her, down to the minute details. She recalled the spirit-talk with Hikaru... _"You know he won't just keep your secret...didn't I teach you to not accept anything you know you won't be able to pay back..."_ She shivered and looked over at Madara. He was gazing contently at the whirling petals that passed before them, his eyes careful and following the trail of one before moving onto a next. The day ended with the stroll back to the house. Dinner was usual and once again, it was up onto the roof.

"I expect that you will take good care of my brother for one day, hmm?" he said while they were both present in the moonlight. Hiroki nodded.

"Of course. He's like my sibling too. And you shouldn't blackmail me with the whole secret thing." Hiroki said, stating her fear that indeed Madara might use her secret to his advantage.

"Never. I wouldn't do such a thing. It is not right as the head of a clan. If I needed something to be done, it would be by my own power." he responded, defending his ego.

"I suppose so. Then, Madara, after me explaining my entire life to you, you should as well." Hiroki said. After a while, the natural formality between them ceased, and they simply referred to each other by their names, no any address. Only in front of the Council or any important people would Hiroki call Madara with -sama. It was to show she still respected him as a higher authority than her. Madara thought for a while until her spoke.

"I had four brothers. The only one left is Izuna, and I will protect him with my life. He is more precious to me than anything. If anyone dares to harm him, I will kill them. I trust you however, I know he is safe with you. He regards you as his older sister and an upperclassmen. My mother died when I was young, but I still remember her. She was a very soft-spoken person and seldom was out of our house. She loved all of us and my father. She died because of a sudden heart-attack, due to her weak heart. My father stopped smiling after that. He was strict and straightforward from that point on. War was raging when I grew up, and I lost my brother's to it. I was taught to fight from when I could correctly hold a sword." Madara said, remembering his childhood, he skipped the part about Hashirama. "From when I could use a sharingan, I was already clashing blades with Hashirama. He and I go a long way back. We've been at each other for a while. So Izuna and I strove to rise and be on top, we sparred, fought, and battled till we honed every piece of our skills to perfection. We obtained Mangekyou. Our father was leader from when grandfather died, and he was a good leader. Since my older brothers had died, I was the eldest, and so I was also taught to succeed my father. They said I was natural born, however. So, when I was 18-19? Yes, I think so, my father died tragically from a fatal wound. His leadership came unto me, as respectively, Hashirama to the Senju. I fought tooth and nail to lead the clan until today." His life story was short and cut, straight at the correct points. Hiroki nodded. _He's still young in his life...he dies much later. But, that seems about right._ Madara watched for any reaction. Hiroki simply was reviewing the facts.

"I believe I knew most of that. I am sorry of the loss of your family. I understand your will to protect Izuna now. Fighting at such a young age...we were not taught that way." Hiroki said, and Madara nodded. Hiroki had to admit that Madara was incredible, a true gifted prodigy.

"You are quite the overachiever. I admire that." She said. Madara looked at her with a gentle thanks. Somehow, he felt quite happy that she had praised him.

"Thank you. Your life was quite admirable as well. Your brother, I would've liked to meet him." Madara said. Hiroki's eyes lit up.

"You are much like my brother. You two would make fast friends." Madara frowned.

"I've never had real friends. There was no time for such thing."

"I suppose you would say that."

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

"Dunno."

"You...!" He made an aggravated noise.

"Yes. Me."

He was silent for a while.

"Anyways... like my brother. He wasn't exactly much of a hothead like you, much more composed. He wasn't as snide either, nor much of cold bastard sometimes. He was very open and allowed everyone to see what he felt." Hiroki was just teasing him, trying to make him angry, but Madara scowled and felt his blood begin to boil.

"Watch what you say. I could kill you. Or tell everyone about you."

"Ah, ah, ah! I told you that you shouldn't blackmail me. Besides, I was kidding. Seriously, I was joking and you go and kill me. I think you might have a bipolar problem."

"I was not going to kill you. Did you really think that I would? Am I that sort of man? And who's being multi-faced? First, you go and praise me, now you are just kicking me?" Madara knew he was joking and they could both sense the humor in it.

"Ah. Ok, Prince Madara. Should I say that you are so generous and act like you want to give the Senju fruit baskets and say, 'Please accept this gift, graciously. Love, Madara.' Hmm? That would be lying. But, like my brother... you are very kind with me...I suppose. But, then again, my brother was only kind towards me. You too, except Izuna, but, he was a very good man. He understood people."

"First of all, I would most definitely not give the Senju any sort of gift, nor would I sign with 'Love'. I would use 'Sincerely' or 'Most Thankful'. Second of all, you're a girl. Women must be treated nicely." Madara said, not even sure of this ridiculous conversation. Hiroki looked at him and doubled over in a fit of laughing.

"I'd never think the Almighty Madara would argue over such a trivial matter. But why choose me? I mean, there are plenty of pretty women out there to treat tenderly with love and care." Hiroki pointed out. Madara considered it before realizing that this conversation would him saying something he wouldn't want to.

"I don't know. I've never thought of marrying or getting myself involved with such affairs until you happened to chance by me. You're the first I've ever talked with." Madara said, and couldn't help but grow red. Hiroki saw the pink in his ears and smiled to herself.

"So are you saying...that I'm the first ever that you liked? A woman, I mean." Hiroki asked, her voice gingerly stepping into the topic. Madara answered without turning, for he was afraid she'd see his red face.

"Did I say I like you?"

"Sort of. You kind of put the idea in my head."

No answer.

"So it that a yes or a no?" Hiroki asked. She wanted to find out the truth anyway. Madara turned to talk to her properly.

"I can't say right now. I'm not sure if I can say that because this never happened before." Madara tried to explain, but just ended up trying to deny himself."

"Then I'll take that as a yes." Hiroki said, smiling mischievously. Madara stared at her, half horrified, half humiliated. He didn't know how to respond.

"I promise that I'll keep your secret. I'll guard it with my life." Hiroki said amusingly, mirroring Madara's exact words. He just gaped at her. He couldn't lie. If he said that he didn't have any feelings for her, it would be false, but if he admitted it...it would be so embarrassing. Hiroki was not sure what happened. She just got Madara to half say that he liked her. Hiroki wasn't even sure of her own feelings, she wanted to hide them and keep it away from bothering her. But being with him... it made the hold loosen. It made her want to set it loose and say that she felt the same way. She went back to her conversation with Hikaru. _I'm only repaying him by keeping out of his way. If I get involved with his personal feelings...I'm not sure what to do. _Hiroki wasn't sure of anything anymore.

She wanted to make the Council not suspect her. She wanted to make it clear to them that she was higher authority than them and they were not to question her. Hiroki wanted to hide away any feelings that might cause Madara to suspect the truth. But that barrier was gone. He had stepped over the boundaries and he knew her inside out. The two were no longer friends but something that went deeper, they knew each other and all their secrets. Hiroki had made the mistake of letting herself be exposed. Hikaru would yell at her for being so foolish. She had no idea what to do. Her put away self was useless now. It was clear that the lines between them were fading. Madara's inner blood thirst was being quashed by his feelings for Hiroki. It was coming in a rush. They neither realized it before it came. Hiroki decided her true feelings were inevitable and released her bonds. She couldn't help it. The emotions came rushing out once again, and it dawned on her.

She had fallen in love with Madara.

Hiroki looked at the man beside her on the cool spring night. The soft wind blew across her face, and she felt her hair stream out behind her. Madara was gazing at the moon again.

"Madara. You know, I like you back." It was all she said. Hiroki now stared at the face of silver before her, her eyes twinkling softly, feeling all too well the certain emotions that coursed through her at that moment. It took a minute for Madara to register what she had just said. He turned to her, in disbelief. A shade of pink crossed his cheeks once again as she realized that she had just confessed to him. Hiroki turned to the blushing Madara and smiled softly. Madara then regained himself and smiled back. He smirked at his own dumbstruck reaction. _Thump. Thump._ _Thump._ He could hear his heart beat faster and faster. Hiroki glanced at her brother's star one last time before jumping into the window and disappearing from his sight. Madara was left alone on the roof, with thoughts swirling about his head and his heart thumping away like a madman.

* * *

The next morning, Hiroki acted as if nothing happened, but Madara could see it in her eyes. Izuna and her saw off to his departure for the trip. Making sure that he had everything, he left, with one last smile at Hiroki and a curt nod towards Izuna. Izuna had been keeping track of both their progression of feelings. Today, he noticed that the two seemed to share something that kept them both closer than he thought. _Their own secret, I suppose_. Izuna smiled to himself for his older brother's happiness, and towards the girl who was like his sister.

"Now! Hiroki, Madara's all gone and we can have fun! Want to go to a hot spring? Or a stay at a dango house, maybe we can go spar and sharpen our knives. I do have to leave tommorow, so why don't you treat your lowerclassmen?" Izuna suggested, his eyes sparkling. Hiroki stared at him with the same eyes and grinned. She ruffled his hair and Izuna playfully punched her arm as she did so.

"You are equal to me, no lowerclassmen or upperclassmen of any sort. Say... I could go sparring... my joints have been rusting from sitting in the chair all day, and then a nice refreshment at a hot spring would be nice!" Hiroki suggested. Izuna grinned even wider and they agreed to do so. For the rest of the day, Hiroki treated Izuna to whatever he wanted, for she felt that Madara would be pleased if she did. She still remember the awkward first day, when Izuna happened to see her...uh...body. She chuckled at the memory.

That night, she felt lonelier than ever. There was no Madara to talk to. She simply stared at the moon and went to sleep wondering what he was doing. The next morning, Hiroki bade Izuna farewell and she was left alone, in the house, with nothing but the sound of her feet. She decided to see if Hashirama was still at the river. She didn't see anybody. The next week was lonely and silent. She pondered herself over and over, thinking of all the time that she'd been here. Finally, the brothers came home. Hiroki saw the shuffle in, looking tired, weary and worn. They looked like they had been in a few scuffles. Izuna looked like he was going to drop unconscious any moment. She led him into his room and laid him down to rest. She saw Madara walk wearily to Hiroki. She smiled and took his things. He thanked her silently with a small, tired smile. She put his things down in one corner and went to the kitchen to get water for Madara. He accepted it thankfully and sat down at the table. Hiroki sat opposite of him.

"Welcome home. You should get some rest, you look like you'll fall dead too." He downed the water and set the cup down in heavy motions.

"I should. I'll have to leave immediately tomorrow. Izuna's staying, but you're coming with me." He said. Hiroki looked at him in surprise.

"They want your presence in order to be sure that they can ally with us." He explained. Hiroki nodded. Madara thanked her once again and set off to sleep, too weary to do anything. It was already night by the time they arrived, so Hiroki went to sleep as well, after packing her few items. _Looks like the next part of my journey has gotten more complicated_.

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**Chapter 6 END:** They have confessed! (Sort of?) And looks like Hiroki has to face more authority...

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_**Author's Note:** Thanks to all who have supported me! Please continue and I would love to hear feedback. _

_Hehe! About Madara's and Hiroki's feelings towards each other... It's a bit confusing. Hiroki just wanted to keep everything to herself and did not want to fall in love with him because she was afraid of him finding out her secret. But, he found out...and now she has nothing to lose. So she let her natural feelings flow. Madara, knows that he likes her, but...he's tried to deny it. It didn't work, it just continued to grow! And even if he did not directly admit it, Hiroki knew anyway. Those now, they know their feelings toward one another, but kind of don't have a relationship of sort... she's kind of half friend-zoning him at the moment. It'll be more clear within the next two chapters. Please continue to read ! :D Love, Rima-chan_


	7. Chapter 7: God's Tears

_I believe that I am getting somewhere with this. Thank you for everything. I'm so grateful... I think I'm going to cry... Sniff...sniff. Teehee! (I'm not Ryan Higa...), but anyways... Enjoy! From the depths of Hiroki and Rima's hearts, LOVE! Hum hum! Anybody like Vietnamese food? It's good. Especially Pho...I think... Meh. Continue to read the story... ;D_

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**Chapter 7: God's Tears**

"Get up." Hiroki thought she heard someone say something. She murmured quietly to herself and pulled the covers over her head, curling into a ball. She heard a faint sigh then felt the blanket being pulled away from her. She held on, and as a result, she fell heads over heels, bumping her head on the ground. Hiroki woke up with a jolt to find Madara staring at her impatiently. He held the blanket in one hand while his other on his hip, cocking his head to one side.

"Seriously, you sleep like a log! Get yourself ready, we're leaving in five minutes." Madara threw the covers on the floor and left abruptly. Hiroki stared after him in a sleepy shock. She looked out the window to see that it was still pitch black. _Harumph. He should've woke me up gentler..._But she remembered Hikaru often having to wake her up in such manners as well. _Hehe! I guess I just sleep very deeply..._She stretched and yawned, dressing quickly and gathering her items. She brought practically everything she owned, for it wasn't much. She went into the kitchen to find Madara packing a few food items for the trip. They were going to the edge of Fire Country south, to where the Sarutobi clan resided. Hiroki yawned again and grabbed an onigiri to eat, but Madara snatched it away.

"Ah, ah, ah! You can't burden your body with more weight. We'll eat when we're nearly dead with exhaust. It'll be faster as well. If we move fast, we'll get more than halfway there by nightfall." Madara said and Hiroki grumbled to herself.

"I'm hungry."

"You ate last night?''

Silence. Madara sighed and shook his head in disapproval.

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't know how to cook." Hiroki said shyly. Madara looked at her incredulously.

"Aren't girls supposed to learn that stuff?"

"My brother always cooked for me, and if he wasn't home, I went out to eat. Besides, I never had a mother to teach me, nor did I have the time to worry about such things. I had to worry about killing people." Hiroki said. Madara looked at her, still unamused. He sighed again and shrugged.

"Okay. But only one." He handed back the rice ball and she gladly downed it in two bites. Madara strapped his _ganbai_ onto his back and he and Hiroki headed out. Izuna was still sleeping, so he couldn't see them off at 2:00 in the morning. The village was deadly quiet, and the only light came from the moon and the stars. Madara moved soundlessly, and Hiroki made an effort to as well. After all, she was trained to be as stealthy as possible. It wasn't long before they reached the trees. Running in between them was more difficult, so they scaled up a tree and hopped from branch to branch. They ran until it was light, and Hiroki could see the light peeking through the trees. During the trip, it was silent, Madara concentrated on getting there as quick as possible. Hiroki followed him, not saying much. When it was full morning and the sun shined through the treetops, Madara stopped to rest. They found a small stream and filled their bottles of water, which were made of hollow bamboo trunks. After catching their breaths, they began again, running past the trees until it was flat land. There were traces of rural civilization, with a few small cabins here and there. Madara did not stop to meet anybody. Finally tired from running full speed through the forest, Madara slowed to a walk past the trees and on a dirt road. Hiroki was in step with him the entire time, despite that she could get more tired easily than him. By the time they slowed Hiroki was panting slightly. Madara noticed.

"If you are tired, we can stop." He said, concerned.

"No, just short of breath, that's all. I'll be fine in a few minutes." She smiled. "Thanks for worrying though" She grinned and saw Madara's expression turn embarrassed. She giggled and Madara turned away, mentally scowling at himself. Hiroki stopped but still smiled softly, a gentle, carefree expression on her face. This reminded so much of her brother's and hers missions. He would make up funny jokes and riddles to past the time, and it would go so much faster. Hiroki thought it might work with Madara.

"Do you like jokes and riddles?" She asked.

"They're amusing. Why?"

"I thought we might past time with some." Madara said sure and smiled, thinking of a few. His eyes lit up. Hiroki thought of one too.

"I've got one!" they both said simultaneously. Madara, the gentleman said she should go first.

"Nah, you should." Madara frowned but accepted.

"Hmm. Riddles are better, the more trickier, the more you've got to think. I've got one. There are 32 white horses on a red hill. They mash and mush, with strength and force." Hiroki smiled and told the answer.

"That's an easy one! It's teeth! I've got one too. A box without a lid or hinges, but has golden treasure inside." Hiroki said. Madara thought a moment before he smiled with the answer.

"That's easy too. It's an egg!" He said triumphantly. Hiroki frowned and thought hard...

"Oh! Here's a hard one. If you break me, I will not stop working. If you touch me, I may be snared. If you lose me, nothing will matter." Madara searched for the answer in his head. He thought he heard his father say that one when he was little. It was something to do with...

"Ah! It's your heart!" he said, grinning in victory. Hiroki chuckled ominously with flashing eyes. She thought of a few harder ones up her sleeve.

" Now, my turn. Hmmm, this one's tricky too. What always runs but never walks, often murmurs but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?" Madara said, hoping to get her. Hiroki thought for a while. She couldn't think of his answer. Runs? Murmurs? Bed? Mouth? They were terms at the one place...

"A river! It's a river! Ha! I've got it." Madara stared at the boisterous woman next to him.

"Took you a while, though!" Madara teased. Hiroki chuckled and they went on and on. Hiroki had stumped him a few times, and Madara had only got her 2 times. But she had to admit, his riddles were well thought of and had much hidden meaning. Soon, they reached a bustling town of people. It was a regular town without shinobi. People could tell they were shinobi by the Uchiha crest on their backs and their weapons strapped to them. Mothers hurried children behind their skirts when they saw them, people avoided walking in their path. Madara did not make an effort to hide who he was, he kept his head up and his eyes black and cold. Hiroki walked beside him, making sure not to brush the people beside her. She grabbed his arm and kept close to him. Madara looked at her and pulled her against him when passing carts and people would get too close.

"They are avoiding us like bad luck. And the looks." Hiroki said.

"I know. They are scared we'll hurt them. Just stay close." He said back and the two walked through the town. It was busy, so it was hard to walk faster around the streets. It had taken the whole day to get past the forest since there wasn't much civilization back then, the hidden village of Konoha wasn't erected yet. By twilight, they had reached the town, and was well halfway to the Sarutobi clan village. The twilight had faded, and Madara was searching for an inn. The streets were a bit less busy, but there was still plenty of people milling about. Madara and Hiroki entered a tavern which also had rooms. It was full of men and shinobi mixed together. Madara walked in and many of the men stared at them with suspicious eyes. They went to the bar to ask for a room. Hiroki's eyes flared up in surprise when he asked for one room only.

"We'll be sharing a room?" She asked. Madara shot her an impatient look.

"Deal with it. It'll cost less money." he said and Hiroki nodded. She silenced herself and proceeded to scan the tavern. The men glanced at her with wary eyes, occasionally whispering to the men next to them and taking a drink from their mugs of beer. Hiroki also noticed a small table of ninja. They were enjoying their meal, but were also surveying them, especially Madara. They eyed her with an interest. She recognized their symbol as the Mikazuki. They were not fond of Uchiha, if she remembered correctly. Hiroki leaned closer to Madara and whispered to him about their presence. Madara nodded slightly and was handed the room key. They strolled to a table close to theirs, and he sat down without sparing them a glance. Hiroki noted that his back was to them, even disgracing further. They ordered cups of tea. Madara wanted to let them know that he did not care about their being there, and they were no threat to them. Hiroki followed his example and sipped her tea casually.

"You should eat. You look quite haggard." Madara said and Hiroki shook her head.

"I'm not hungry much."

"Are you scared of those ninja?" Madara accused, a playful glint in his eye as he raised his cup to drink. Hiroki made a face and stared him down.

"What makes you think that? I'd kill them all before you could turn your head." she said. Madara scoffed. He smiled at her and leaned his hand against his face, his elbow on the table.

"Is that so? I wish we could do that without causing a riot. My, I do hate them staring at us with such loathing." Madara said, and Hiroki began to feel uncomfortable. Madara's tone was just a bit too loud, and she was afraid those Mikazuki would hear.

"Be quiet. They'll be offended." Hiroki said in a hushed voice and Madara grinned even more.

"That's because I wanted them to." He said and downed the rest of the tea with one gulp. Hiroki stared at him and felt the unease grow in her stomach. She flicked her eyes toward them to see that they were dead still, which probably meant they were very much listening to their conversation. Madara noticed her disturbed nature and his eyes softened.

"It's fine, right? You would kill them all, you said. Here, eat." Madara mused and handed her the bento box from the trip. It still had a few rice balls. Hiroki nodded and ate slowly, nibbling at the rice, her thoughts concentrated around the Mikazuki. Madara grabbed one and ate as well. He leaned against the chair, staring at Hiroki. Hiroki noticed his gaze and averted her eyes, blushing. He chuckled. Hiroki quickly ate and put the empty box away. She noticed his sudden change of character. He seemed more playful, as if he wanted to threaten the Mikazuki ninja. She could see the violent nature swirling in his eyes.

"We should rest early and get up early next morning. We could get there by a bit past noon." Hiroki said and wished to hurriedly get away from the ninja eyeing her and Madara. Madara shook his head, a sly smile still on his face.

"I don't want to right now. Stay here and talk a bit. After all, it seems the Mikazuki are quite scared of us, wouldn't it be proper to have a nice conversation with them?" he said, and Hiroki was absolutely sure they heard his every word. She stiffened and watched as their eyes flared and one of them lunged at Madara, who was still sitting there, a smirk upon his face. Hiroki shot him an aggravated look. Another one, she notice from the corner of her eye, jumped towards her. Hiroki and Madara swung out their weapons and turned to face them. Men around the tavern let out startled cries as they saw the Mikazuki try to slash Madara's throat from behind, only to be whacked across the head with a giant fan. Hiroki whipped out her katana, chakra blazing along its length and countered the slash at her. She knocked the blade out the attacker's hands and held her's up in a defensive position. They were both still sitting. The one who attacked Hiroki jumped back with a startled grunt, while the one Madara hit was recovering from being knocked to the ground. He snarled menacingly at them.

"How dare you say such words. I'll kill you for such ignorance, Uchiha Madara. At least the girl was smarter." He spat, his words icy. Madara chuckled and turned his head to face the speaker.

"It hurts to hear the truth, does it not?" he said, a strange smile on his lips. Hiroki shivered. This was the Madara in which she had always pictured to be. Menacing. She looked at the frightened faces in the tavern. _They might get hurt. We should stop._

"Madara, cease this nonsense. This is useless bloodshed. The Mikazuki would probably strike back if we killed their men here." Hiroki pleaded to Madara, who glanced at her. He stopped to consider her words.

"All right. We'd best not do anything dangerous." He said and stood up. Hiroki stood up a well, following Madara, who walked with confidence past the Mikazuki to the rooms. The Mikazuki ninja gaped a them before growling maliciously and lunged at Hiroki, who had her back to them. This time, Madara reacted faster than Hiroki could, and he swatted away the kunai aimed at her like a fly, he stood in front of her, blocking it from hitting her. Hiroki turned around in surprise to see Madara standing before her. _How did he get there? _Madara's eyes were blazing with the sharingan as her stared down the man who threw the weapon.

"We'd say we wouldn't cause a fight. Now, we turn our backs and you attempt to kill her? What a coward." he said icily cold and quiet, his words dripping with acidity. The Mikazuki still snarled like a feral dog at him.

"You're the ones who started it." He said, his eyes burning with hatred, though he backed away from the advancing Madara, who had his fan still raised, his eyes burning red.

" How you sound so petty and childish, Mikazuki. So what if I said a few remarks to amuse someone? Now, I _dare_ you to hurt Hiroki, or I'll rip all your throats out." Madara growled and whipped around, grabbing Hiroki by the arm and dragging her up the stairs into the rooms. The Mikazuki stared open-mouthed at the retreating forms of the two and stood up, unscathed, but with their egos wounded. All the men in the tavern were dead silent during the affair, and were now staring at them with accusing eyes, as if to say that they just ruined their night.

"I'll get you for this." He muttered angrily to himself and collected his teammates. They strode out in a storm, feeling rotten for losing at the hands of Madara and a girl. The Mikazuki disappeared into the night.

Hiroki shook herself from the death hold of Madara's hand once they got at the top of the stairs, rubbing her sore wrist. Madara let go, but turned to face her.

"Madara, next time, we shouldn't say those things. Thanks for saving me though, I guess." She said sheepishly. Madara's gaze softened.

"Hmph. It was their fault for attacking us. Are you all right?" He asked, looking at her for any wounds. Hiroki shook her head and smiled.

"What about you?" She said, even though she could see he wasn't injured either.

"Like I could get hurt by those weaklings." He scoffed and Hiroki laughed softly. Madara smiled as well and they walked to the room. They put their stuff down and stretched their sore muscles after carrying all the weight.

"I'll go get washed up first." Hiroki said and Madara nodded. Hiroki went into the washroom and closed the door, releasing a deep breath. She could still feel her heart racing after the incident, but it wasn't only because of that...she was going to sleep in a confined room, alone, with a man. Madara, to be exact. She couldn't help but blush. She looked in the mirror to see her face completely red. _Gyah! What thoughts am I thinking to be this way?! So, perverted, you_ _Hiroki!_ She thought to herself and tried to rub off the redness. She suddenly remembered Hikaru's words, _"He'll take your innocence..."._Hiroki blushed even more and began to think crazy thoughts_. Madara...he'll...?! No...he's not that kind of person_. Hiroki repeated to herself. She stripped and took a hot shower to try to calm her nerves. She wrapped a towel around herself and bent down to pick up her clothes. Realizing that she forgot to bring fresh clothes, she scolded herself and just wore her old clothes. She walked out to see Madara was sitting on the middle of the floor, half-asleep. He looked up lazily.

"Didn't you take a shower?" he asked. Hiroki looked at him questionably.

"Yes. Didn't you hear the water?"

"Oh? Then why are you still in those clothes?" he asked, still sleepy.

"Ah. It's because I forgot to bring fresh clothes in the bathroom. You can go in there now." She said and Madara grabbed his stuff to head to the shower. Once she was sure Madara was in the bathroom, Hiroki got out a clean robe and changed into it. She yawned, her limbs aching from the traveling and the little scuffle they had earlier. Hiroki lay back and thought dreamily of her brother. She forgot that it was Madara in the shower and thought it was Hikaru; they were on a trip to the Waves Country for killing some ninja of sorts. She drifted into sleep. Madara walked out of the bathroom to see Hiroki sound asleep on the floor, without any bedding. He smiled and sighed, walking over, laying down a bedspread, and gently picking Hiroki up to lay her on the bedding properly. Hiroki thought she heard Hikaru talking softly, he was picking her up to a bed? Ah, she must remind herself to thank him later... Madara pulled the covers over her and smiled, brushing aside the stray hairs on her face. "Hikaru..." Hiroki murmured, holding onto Madara's hand over her face. "Hikaru...don't leave...Nii-chan..." She thought she felt his hand stroking her head like when she was little. His hand was so warm. She felt it grasp hers tightly, filling her hand with its warmness. But then she pictured another face...it was fuzzy...a man. It looked like her brother. No, it was much more different... it was... Madara. Still sleepy, she smiled, thinking of the man that had entered her dreams.

"Madara." She said, still sleeping. Madara, who was still clutching her hand, heard it loud and clear. At first, he thought she had woken up, but then realized she was just murmuring in her sleep. He broke out a gentle grin.

"You think of me when you sleep? How perverted." he said amusingly. He tried to pry his hand off hers, but her fingers would not let go of his. Sighing, he grabbed a pillow and laid beside her, falling into slumber as well. He dreamed of a fragile face, one full of laughter and sunshine, smiling at him. One with black locks, pale porcelain skin, and a radiant smile. He grinned in his sleep as he realized it belonged to one beside him.

* * *

Madara woke up early on habit. He shivered. He had slept without covers and he raised his left hand to run through his hair when he realized it was still attached to Hiroki's. He nearly jerked it away in embarrassment when he recalled last night's events. He looked at the sleeping girl beside him. He shook her gently. Hiroki furrowed her eyebrows. "Ngh." She groaned and tried to roll away. But still had her hand around his, she was jerked back towards him. She woke up with a start and sat up fast. She looked at her hand and pulled away, gasping in surprise. Madara looked at her humorously as he saw the red creep to her cheeks. _What was I doing last night?!_ Hiroki looked at Madara suspiciously.

"Did I get drunk or something?" Hiroki asked. Madara looked at her, surprised.

"No, why would you ask that?" He said, curious.

"Why would I hold your hand otherwise?!" Hiroki said. Madara looked at her and began laughing. Then he stood up and stretched.

"Hehehe...It was really strange. You know you talk in your sleep right?" He said, his eyes twinkling. Hiroki looked at him and began blushing even harder.

"Yes...I tend to talk in my sleep..." she mumbled.

"That's not all. You were saying my name. And you grabbed my hand and wouldn't let go." He said, grinning. Hiroki looked at him in shock. She turned away, her face burning red with shame. She stood up quickly and went to gather her items. After she strapped her equipment on and Madara did so as well, they headed out, paying the tavern keeper and bought a couple of dumplings for the trip. Hiroki tried to avoid conversation with Madara, as she was still mortified. Since it was early morning, the town was empty and walking past it was a breeze. The two set out on the trip once more. The awkwardness disappeared and the usual friendliness returned. They passed the time with more riddles. It was nearly noon when they stopped to rest and eat. There was a small clearing where they stopped.

"We'll be there in around 30 minutes to a hour. If you are tired, we can go slower." Madara said while they were eating their cold dumplings. Hiroki was also a bit out of breath, so she nodded. After the meal, Madara got up and stretched, and Hiroki did so as well.

"We'd better get-" Hiroki started but Madara stopped her. He motioned to be quiet. Madara tensed and put his hand on the handle of his fan. Hiroki grew alert and put a hand on her katana, chakra ready to burst. A person burst out of the trees and Hiroki drew her katana, ready to strike, as did Madara whip out his ganbai. The man half-screamed when he saw their hostile forms. Hiroki them noticed the clan insignia and Madara seemed to recognize him. Madara latched his fan onto his back and told Hiroki to sheath her katana. After she put away her weapon, the man relaxed and smiled kindly. He walked close to greet them.

"Ah! Madara-sama! I'm here to escort you and Hiroki-sama to the village. Daichi is expecting you. Nice to meet you, Hiroki-sama. My name is Sarutobi Kaito. I have heard much about you." The young man bowed and introduced himself formally. Hiroki smiled and greeted the man as well. He was tall and muscular, with light brown hair that fell in messy waves across his eyes. His light tan skin shone in the high sun and he wore a shinobi uniform with the clan crest upon his right arm.

"Hiroki is a bit exhausted, so we should go a bit slower." Madara said and Kaito nodded. Hiroki noticed Madara seemed acquainted with the young man. Hiroki assumed that if Madara saw him as no threat, Hiroki should treat him with the same friendliness. They entered the trees and followed him past the forest. It was a slow jog, but not fast running. After Hiroki regained her breath, she told them she could go at full speed. Madara nodded to Kaito and he sped ahead, Madara keeping up with him. Hiroki jumped and ran at full speed once more. After around 50 minutes, she could see a huge clearing, and the village coming closer. They stopped at the gates and they nodded them through. Hiroki kept close to Madara's side as usual and noticed the stares of the Sarutobi. They weren't hostile, but curious of Hiroki. She saw children run past and laugh, but they were also filled with the war as she saw in their eyes. She smiled at them and notice a few boys smile back. They whispered to each other after she turned her head. Madara elbowed her and told her to not converse with them. Kaito looked back to see the two disagreeing. He mused to himself that it might be a lover's quarrel. After a long walk to the back of the village, Kaito led them to a front of a magnificent building. It's grand door was large, with the gate towering well above their heads. Kaito turned around and smiled.

"Welcome to Daichi's Residence." The guards out front opened the gates and Hiroki walked into the magnificent courtyard. It was lavish, complete with a stone garden and flowers. She could hear the _Whack! Shaaa_ of the bamboo water lever in the background. Kaito led them past the hallways and doors to a grand room at the end of the building. It opened out to the back and it was wide, decorated with furniture and rugs. Sitting at the back, staring out the backyard was a man, who was smoking on a pipe. He stood and turned to face them. Hiroki stared at the man. He looked exactly like the third hokage. Hiroki bowed respectfully and introduced herself, but the man stopped her midway.

"I already know who you are. My, you look quite fragile and young for all the rumors I heard about you. I never expected such a pretty young woman." The man said and smiled. Hiroki blushed and smiled, thanking him. Madara rolled his eyes.

"So what am I here for, Daichi-sama?" Hiroki asked respectfully and the man smiled.

"A very good question. For the past 2 weeks, Madara-san has been telling me of you. He says that you can predict the future. If that is true, then we will confirm the alliance. On one accord, the Sarutobi may ask to use your skills anytime we wish to. Do you accept?" He asked, his smile strangely inviting. Hiroki shot a glance at Madara. _He told them about me knowing the future._ _Well, me predicting, not knowing...so technically he didn't reveal my secret. This would help the clan a lot. I'll do it for Madara. _Hiroki felt confidence in knowing she had helped served him. She turned to Daichi with strength in her eyes. She bowed and kneeled on one knee, lowering her head in submission. He looked at her in surprise, but then satisfaction.

"Of course, Sarutobi Daichi-sama. It is my pleasure to help your clan in anyway. Madara-sama is correct, I can predict the future...though it is my will whether to share it with others. I have not use my advantage to aid the Uchiha or Madara yet, however. If I agree with you, then it is my first time using for the greater of others. I will accept that your clan may use my skills at anytime, but only if you must need to, and if I see that it is a liable claim." Hiroki said and raised her head. Daichi broke out in a grin.

"Of course. I will now accept this alliance, and my, you have such wise words for one so young. I might just consult you if I have a problem. You are smart to choose this decision. I hope what I hear from Madara and others is true, if not...I will be greatly disappointed. However, hearing you now, I believe in your word." Daichi smiled and he bowed to Hiroki, who stood and bowed back. She broke out in a wide smile and looked over to Madara. He nodded and smiled softly in approval. Hiroki felt her heart leap at his praise.

"Kaito will show you to where you will reside for the time being. If you need anything, I will provide it for you. Today is just one of many more matters to discuss. You can go now." Daichi said to Hiroki and turned his back to face the scenery out the doors. Kaito, who was standing in the background the whole time, now stepped up and smiled kindly to Hiroki. She smiled back as he took her heavy bags from her and led her around the magnificent house. She noted that Madara stared expressionless at the exchange and he turned to follow them. They went up the stairs and around many bends to stop at a intricately embellished door. It opened up and Hiroki was told it was her bedroom. Madara had his next door with the same amount of luxury. Hiroki entered to see a huge bed, with the most fancy bedding she'd ever seen in her entire life. It literally looked like golden sheets and pillows piled atop a field of a mattress. There was finely carved furniture made of high polished and gleaming mahogany. When she sat on a chair, it felt like she was sinking in silk and clouds. Hiroki grinned and jumped onto the plush bed. _Ahhh, I could die here if I wanted to! The head of the clan lives like a king! I wonder how Madara's doing?_ Hiroki grew curious of the furnishings in his adjacent room and got up off the luxury item. She opened the door and stepped over to his. She knocked three times. No answer. Hiroki did it a second time, and a third. Still no response. _Hehehe, I can just creep into it...he's not there..._she thought mischievously and opened the door a crack to slide herself in. The room was as lavishly decorated as hers, with the exception of different furniture and bedding and such. She noticed that it seemed occupied by Madara for awhile; his books and paperwork sprawled across the desk, his chair with more of his equipment. Some of the overly lavish pillows and covers neatly tucked into a corner, his clothing was laid out on the bed. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened with Madara walking out. Hiroki gasped and turned to face him. Madara looked at her in shock and nearly screamed. Hiroki felt her face burning red. He was naked, with the exception of a flimsy towel around his groin.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He finally managed to half scream half mangle out of his throat. Hiroki could not respond but just gape open-mouthed at his body with red ears and pink cheeks. Madara just watched dumbfounded as Hiroki forced her head to look at another object and hide her face in her hands. She walked out the door and mumbled incoherently to herself. Once she closed the door, Madara ran his hand through his hair, feeling his face go hot. He silently put his clothes on and felt embarrassed the whole time through, his heart pounding strangely. Hiroki walked out of the awkward scene and once she had closed his door, she grabbed her head in her hands and went to the wall, where she banged her head against it. _What have I done?! I just saw Madara practically naked! He'll never trust me even glancing at him again! My eyeballs...they're scorched..._ Hiroki felt even guiltier as she noticed that she had felt somewhat _pleased _to look at him like that. _Why am I so perverted?!_ She once again banged her head on the wall and wished every bang would erase a second of the situation.

"Stop it! You're going to break down my house. What may be the porblem?" Hiroki turned her still burning face to see Daichi looking at her in surprise. Hiroki felt herself grow even more shamed as she realized he was watching the whole time. _My sensory skills...I need to work on them..._ Hiroki noted and turned again to face him once more.

"Ahh. It's nothing! I just wanted to relieve some stress. Yeah, you know, head-wall-banging is the way to go! Ow!" Hiroki winced as she pressed the lumpy bruise on her forehead. Daichi stared at her curiously before his eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Come down, I'll treat that wound, or you should since you know more medical ninjutsu than I, but I have a great way to relieve stress. It looks like you need another alternative." Daichi smiled humorously and Hiroki nodded, glad he had something for her to think of other than Madara's body... Daichi led her down to the same room they were in when they came in. He got out a small medical kit and said to help herself. Hiroki nodded gratefully and healed the bloodied tissue beneath her skin. Once she was done, she noticed she still had some swollen tissue. _Argh. I don't know how to reduce swelling. I don't think they have Ibuprofen either... _Hiroki commented to herself and put a bandage around it to try to press down the tissue. It looked and felt funny, but it worked. Daichi laughed at the funny headband and said to close her eyes. Hiroki did as told and she heard sounds. _He's pushing something wooden over...Now there's something wooden that's heavy being put against it._ She thought she also heard small clacking noises. _Small wooden things being laid on top?_

"Open them up!" Hiroki opened her eyes to see a set up shogi board in front of her. Her eyes widened and it brought back memories of her brother teaching her how to play the game.

"Hehe! It keeps your mind flowing...I love a good game once in a while or when I need it. You know...I'm very good!" He said and Hiroki smiled. She had lost nearly every game when she played with Hikaru... Still, just for the sake of getting things off her mind, she decided to put all her mind to it.

* * *

Madara paced around the room, trying to think of how not to make himself seem awkward. He flushed every time he thought of her red expression looking at him that way. He wanted to bang his head against the wall and just rip off his head. He frowned and resumed his composition. He took a deep and breath and walked outside the door. He acted casually and greeted everyone he met. Every time he passed a woman, she would shyly smile and greet him. The blushing girls made him think of Hiroki even more and he suppressed the urge to blush. He went past the room where Daichi often was and he thought he heard something. The doors were closed, but he could hear the voices inside. He recognized them as Hiroki's and Daichi's.

"Noo! Stop! You can't do that!" Hiroki cried out. The sounds were muffled through the doors, but he could hear it clearly in his head. He shivered at her outburst and leaned in closer to hear.

"Hehehe! Yes I can and you can't stop me!" he heard Daichi's voice. It suddenly sounded vicious.

"Gyah! I told you can't do that! Stop!" Hiroki screamed. She sounded frustrated, almost scared. Madara's breath stopped.

"Yes I can, and you can't do anything. Oh I told you I was good, didn't I? Hah! I've got you cornered and you can't move. Submit!" Daichi cackled and Hiroki let out a frustrated whimper. Madara's blood turned to ice. A million possiblities could be what was happening behind the doors, but the only thing that came to mind was Daichi hurting Hiroki. Madara, suddenly angry and protective, burst the doors open and began to charge at Daichi. He stopped himself just in time and stared at the scene before him. To his embarrassment, he was standing there like a fool, dumbfounded.

"What were you guys doing? I swear, I heard Hiroki screaming and I thought she was hurt or something. Seriously, Daichi you had me scared." Madara huffed and saw on the shogi board that Daichi was beating the crap out of Hiroki, who was miserably losing.

"Just playing Shogi! My, you have a very creative imagination Madara...fufufu." Daichi crowed and Madara flushed, embarrassed that Daichi noticed what he expected behind the doors. Hiroki, who was pouting at her pitiful game, didn't seem to notice what either of them said. Madara looked suspiciously at the bandage around her head.

"Hiroki-san! Aren't you so happy that your prince charming tried to save you from the power of Daichi's shogi? You look quite red!" Daichi said in a amusing tone and watched as Hiroki scowled at him then turn redder after a glance at Madara.

"Is there something I don't know between the two of you?" Daichi said once more and he smiled curiously at the two. After hearing the remark they both took in a sharp breath and turned even redder, Hiroki burying her face into her hands and Madara looking at the ceiling behind them.

"Could it be...love?" At that, Madara coughed loudly and Hiroki clenched her fingers tighter around her head.

"Fufufu...so it's true. Young love, how deadly it can be! I've had my own strange experiences, Madara-san. Well, I hope the gods are in your favor..." Daichi said and stood up to leave. Both their expressions told him that he shouldn't, but he smiled devilishly and left the two gaping at the retreating form. The loud _thunk_ of the door confirmed that the two were alone in the room. Together. Hiroki mustered up her courage and spoke timidly.

"M-Madara...Eh...ummm. I-I...," Hiroki was going nowhere with this. So, she just shouted it out in hope it would drown out her embarrassment. "Madara! I'm sorry I saw you naked! It was an accident! I didn't know you were in there..." Hiroki said and bowed her head, trying to cover her tomato-red face with her hair. Madara looked at her curiously before smiling a bit.

"How amusing. I accept your apology. But why were you in my room?" He asked.

"I just wanted to see...uh...your furniture. And I guess...you." Hiroki said in a quiet voice, nearly a whisper. She clenched he fabric of her pants on her thighs and Madara said nothing for a moment. Then, to Hiroki's surprise, her walked over and sat next to her. When her reached out to move her hair so he could see her face, she flinched. Madara noticed and dropped his hand.

"Ah. I'm sorry. I must of scared you. Don't be awkward." He said softly and Hiroki raised her head, moving the strands from her face. It was relief upon her face and Madara also felt relief course through him.

"Yeah...thank you." Hiroki said and smiled a bit. Madara's eyes grew gentle as he smiled back.

"What happened to your head?" Madara asked about the bandage. Hiroki then realized she had put it there and chuckled.

"After the...scene...I felt so embarrassed I banged my head against the wall." Hiroki said and Madara looked at her amusingly. He thought he had heard some strange thumping noises coming from the wall.

"Let me see." Madara said and motioned for her to lean closer. She awkwardly did so and moved over so he could see. He unwound the bandage and saw the small welt protrude from her skin. He pressed it gently and she winced. He leaned his face closer to get a better look. Hiroki started to grow red from him being so close to her face... She could see his expression. Stoic, but gentle and soft at the same time. She traveled from his intent eyes to his angular nose to his lips and his pointed chin. Hiroki averted her eyes down when she passed his mouth. Madara had noticed her staring but made no move to stop her. He enjoyed it. He didn't feel anymore embarrassed about the earlier situation. When he finished examining the bump, he moved back to his position and Hiroki gladly got out of the close contact. They both stood up and exited, now more calm and collected. When they opened the door, they noticed Daichi waiting outside. Hiroki realized he must've heard the conversation... and the part about her seeing Madara half-naked. She resisted the urge to flush as she walked past him. Hiroki thought she saw Daichi smirk at her when she brushed against his arm. Hiroki looked straight in front of her at Madara's back. She concentrated on the insignia of their clan sewn onto the black fabric. The two headed upstairs to their rooms. But, when Madara was about to enter his, Hiroki grabbed the back of his robe. Madara stopped and turned his head.

"Yes?"

"Can I stay with you? I don't have much to do..." Hiroki asked quietly. Madara raised his eyebrows before smiling.

"All right. I'm no fun, though." Madara said and Hiroki smiled gratefully. Madara was the only one who knew her here and the only one she was close to. It was best if she stuck next to him. There was a grand window on the side of the room, you could even sit on the sill if you wanted to without crouching down. Hiroki circled the room and turned to Madara.

"So. What do you usually do?" Hiroki asked, looking around the room for any sign of enjoyable activities. Madara chuckled when he saw her looking.

"Ah. I usually do paperwork here, as you see on the desk. And if I finished it, I would stare out the window and think of Izuna or you. Sentimental, right?" Madara said and Hiroki glanced at the desk. The pile was significantly taller than the last time she saw it. Sighing, she slumped into an empty chair and watched as Madara tidied up the few belongings around the room. After he did so, he glanced over at the bored Hiroki.

"Since you're here, I guess I can play with you." Madara smiled mischievously and Hiroki looked at Madara in interest.

"What do you mean by 'play'?" Hiroki asked suspiciously. Madara chuckled deeply and smiled wryly at her. He took a step toward the chair. Then another. Hiroki leaped out of it and backed into a corner. Madara continued to advance and Hiroki continued to slide against the wall. Suddenly he jumped and yelled "Yah!" and Hiroki jumped up and yelled "bloody murder!". Madara began laughing and doubled over in a fit. Hiroki realized what his motive was and frowned. She went over and kicked him in the shin. Not hard, but enough to bruise it. He yelped and grabbed his leg. With a murderous glare, he tackled Hiroki from behind and sent her sprawling face first. Before she knew it, he was on top of her, pinning her wrists to the ground and his body sitting on her torso and legs.

"Got you now." He smiled wickedly and Hiroki scowled. She tried to wrench free or get him off but he was too heavy.

"Get off, Madara! You weigh like a boulder! Argh!" Hiroki yelled and struggled to get his hold off. Madara stared at her amusingly and smiled once again.

"Hehe. You said I had nothing amusing to do? Well, I guess you can be my new toy.." he said and Hiroki growled angrily.

"Are you ticklish?" He asked, but Hiroki didn't respond, just a small blush on her cheeks. Madara grinned knowing that the answer was yes. He took both of her wrists in one hand above her head and with the other he held threateningly in front of her face, waggling his fingers. Hiroki drew in a sharp breath.

"Oh god, Madara, don't you dare." Hiroki could barely say as he softly brushed his wiggling fingers against her side. Hiroki resisted the urge to laugh and just forcibly smiled, keeping her lips shut, but he increased the intensity and she burst out laughing doubling over, but he was still on top of her. She jerked her body in order to get the feeling off, but Madara grinned even more.

"Grrr! Damn...Oh God! Hahaha! Damn you Madara!" She burst into endless giggles and finally, with a smirk, Madara had loosened the hold on her wrists and she burst free. With a quick maneuver, she pushed Madara off of her and tackled him onto the ground.

"Are you ticklish? Well, looks like I got to find out!" Hiroki grinned devilishly and attacked Madara with flying fingers. He had a look of horror before be trembled with the tremors and jerked with the tickle fits. His laugh was loud and harsh, but hearty at the same time. Hiroki jerked her head into her neck as she felt his hands on her torso. She quickly got off of him realizing that the game had gone a bit too far. Madara sat up and let out ragged breaths, looking over at Hiroki. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes wrinkled and loose.

"My. You hold up quite a fight..." Madara mused and Hiroki shot him a warning glance, which shut him up. She stood up and walked to the window, where the rain now fell in soft beats, like a drum against the rooftop. Madara walked to her side and stared out at the downpour as well.

"Well that escalated quickly." Madara said amusingly and Hiroki nodded.

"You are too heavy. What do you eat? It has to rocks!" Hiroki joked and Madara chuckled.

"It's because I'm a man. Of course I have to be bigger than you. It would be interesting if it were the other way around." He said and Hiroki just smiled at his logic. Hiroki opened he window a bit and put her hand out to catch the rain. The droplets hung onto her skin like dew, falling off of it in tiny rivulets. Hiroki hung it there for a minute, feeling the soft raindrops pound her flesh. The _pit-pat_ of the rain sounded soothing... like a sad melody. She retracted her hand back in and shook the water off of it. She smiled and remembered a saying her brother often liked to recite when it was raining.

_"Hiroki, did you know..."_

"Madara, did you know that..."

_"...the heavens..."_

"...are crying..."

_"...when it's raining?"_

"...when it's raining?"

The man beside her smiled and looked past the rain into the clouds, searching for the higher entity.

"Of course." was his usual return.

* * *

**Chapter 7 END**

_Is it me, or nature has a way of mind-blowing us all? Seriously...it was raining when I wrote the rain scene! Cute, right? Plus, I just __had__ to make everyone dirty in this chapter... ^ ^" Awww, Mada-chan is so perverted!_

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_**YOU SHOULD READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE! IT'S FUNNY...BUT HAS INFORMATION!**_

_**Author's Note:**_ _Hey! it's Rima-chan! Again! Haha, but thanks to everyone who supported me so far! Especially to: _**xGuiltyXGigglesx03**_, _**lightningx94**_, _**LivingAnEverlastingDream,****ChibiCheshire, Iinvalidzz, fanfiction2010, Nube2013,**_ and to everyone who had supported me so far! May you hear and be happy. I thank my Mexican friend too. Please continue to! Also to all my inspirations, to the rain, the Yiruma's Kiss the Rain, to RainSound, to It's Raining Men by I forget who, and to Joe Hisaishi (You were all expecting another rain reference weren't you?! HAHA!) . Yes, my fellow musicians, I am one too (One heck of a pianist, violinist, and flautist!), but I have to admit, Joe Hisaishi makes my writing so much more sentimental with all his amazing music. Hiroki... I...I...I LOVE YOU! I know, like, I love myself...like...soooo much, man! Derp to making Hiroki sound like a blonde. Not to be Hair-cist, but just saying for the stereotypes. Now do you feel what it's like to be Asian?! HUH?! Yeah...I get asked so much like, what type of Asian are you? Like, where are you from? Naw, you definitely Chinese, man! You all look the same to me, sorry! Sniff...sniff. Yeah. Well GUESS WHAT. Sorry does NOT make up for it. Humiliation... Anyways... about the whole Hiroki and Madara scenes... I was just extremely bored, and felt REAALLY perverted. So...Sssss...yeah. It seriously escalated quickly though... sorry for that. One moment... Oh yeah, I seriously am so embarrassed to be around you now that you've seen me naked... but then... Oh yeah, let's have a tickle fight! "That's young love for ya!" -Daichi Sarutobi. Who thinks I should do a chapter about Izuna? Or... about the Mikazuki's interesting revenge?! PLEASE REVIEW! XD! Love, Rima-chan, who is NOT a typical Asian. P.S. I kinda am. _^ ^"_ "Dad! Look! I got Straight A pluses!" "Awesome! You grow up and be brain surgeon!" "No, I want to be a Pediatric Surgeon! Remember?" "Oh yeah! We proud of you!" That's seriously what happened though... EXCEPT... I got a B+ in English the last quarter. Yeah. My dad was not pleased. P.P.S. Here's a funny Asian joke: An Asian dad sees that his son got 3 C's and 2B's on his report card. He frowns and says," You no CCCCsain, You no BBBBsain, You an AAAAsian. Get it right!" HaHa! I think Madara's laughing too!_


	8. Chapter 8: Unexpected

_Hey there! Yes, I'm talking to you! I think we have a connection, don't you think? Love you! The Mexican too! (Haha, you know who you are!) It's just this amazing Mexican friend of mine. Strange duo, or epic duo? The Mexican and The Asian... HaHa! Anyway...SORRY FOR THE LONG UPDATE! I've been on vacay! I got a tan! It looks weird on the Asian skin of mine...Florida was fun! :D Love, Rima-chan! Here are some songs to listen to while reading this story: **TVXQ- Catch Me**, __**Girl's Generation- Oh!, **__**Torinoko City- ENE **, **Marina and the Diamonds- How to be a Heartbreaker **and** Primadonna, 7!Oops - Lovers, Kamui Gakupo - Dancing samurai (God, love this one!) **and if you want some perverted stuff...** Sandara Park- Kiss!, **and** Kamui Gakupo - The Madness of Duke Venomenia. (Kya! Rape me!)** If you want to feel sort of sad... try the **Shota Harem version of** **Torinoko City** or **Hirari Hirari- Hatsune Miku **Hope you enjoy! Follow if you like this! :P_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Unexpected**

It had been exactly 5 days since Hiroki had stepped into the Daichi Residence. Or at least that's what Kaito called it. The dreaded councils were even more boring and more tedious and these required Hiroki to participate. Madara did not show whether he disliked it or not in front of the Sarutobi Council, but let his disinterest be known at the Residence in front of Daichi and Hiroki. Kaito enjoyed them, to Hiroki's praise. Hiroki also learned of who also resided at Daichi's home, it included his 3 sons and a daughter. Hiroki met them once in the 5 days, but was told she was going to see them more often. The eldest was Madara's age, Ichiro. He looked like his father when he was young. He had dark brown hair and light tan skin. His piercing brown eyes were warm. The second son was named Masahiro and was Hiroki's age. He also had dark hair but his skin was contrastingly pale. He had deep blue eyes that looked like turquoise crystals. The last son was 19, and his name was Toshiro. He had light brown hair and tan skin, with cinnamon freckles and warm brown eyes. The last of the children was a girl, she was like a doll. She had dark brown hair that was nearly black, with pale, white like skin. She had the same crystal blue eyes as Masahiro, but her's were large and doe-like. A small, round face with sharp features and a petite body. She was 15, the youngest. Hiroki had taken a liking to the girl, whose name was Misa. Hiroki had also learned within the five days that their mother was very _unique_...and scary. The first day she came, she met all of them, and it was an _interesting_ experience...

* * *

The sky had cleared up within an hour, but Hiroki could still smell the freshness of the earth. Daichi's family had come home, and Hiroki was supposed to meet them. It was still early in the afternoon, and Daichi smiled slyly as he saw Hiroki's face. It was one of dread. Hiroki smiled forcefully and walked down the stairs to greet the newcomers. She could hear several male voices and one female. Daichi walked out to greet his family with hugs and smiles. Hiroki watched curiously behind the wall. There were 3 sons and a daughter accompanied by the mother. The mother looked surprisingly young for her age, with a bright smile and not a wrinkle in sight.

"We have a new guest apart from Madara, as you all know. Please give her a warm welcome." Daichi said and motioned for Hiroki to step out of the shadows. Madara had also joined her behind the wall where she nervously wished not to step out.

"Madara, walk in front of me." Hiroki whispered and Madara rolled his eyes. He agreed to and walked before her. Then, Hiroki gingerly walked behind his larger form until she was face to face with the family. Madara stepped away and left Hiroki to meet them. Hiroki swallowed and smiled kindly, bowing in greeting.

"Nice to meet you. " Hiroki said timidly and smiled again, scanning the faces. The 3 men looked at her with great interest. Daichi smiled and introduced each of his family to her.

"My wife is Aoi, and my daughter is Misa. My eldest is Ichiro, them Masahiro, then Toshiro." He gestured to each of them and they smiled at her, especially the eldest son. Hiroki blushed and lowered her eyes.

"It is nice to meet you, Hiroki-san. You are prettier than my expectations." Ichiro said with a kind smile and held out his hand to shake. The two other sons also did the same with even nicer compliments. Hiroki looked at them in bewilderment, but then flushed. She thought she heard Madara scoff in the background.

"It seems my sons are impressed with you. Say, it would be nice if you married Ichiro." Aoi said and smiled mischievously at her. Hiroki coughed and looked away, embarrassed. Daichi scowled at his wife, but then turned to Hiroki.

"Ah, don't listen to her. It's just her way of accepting you and saying you're pretty. Besides, you've got one already." Daichi smiled and Aoi frowned, staring at Hiroki with suspicion. Madara coughed softly and walked closer to Hiroki.

"I think I should go help Madara with some clan stuff, you know..." Hiroki tried to say and grabbed Madara's hand to drag him away. He looked at her with surprise but then it registered that she was trying to escape the confrontation. Ichiro looked at her with pleading eyes, wishing for her to talk with him. That's when she turned to the daughter, who had been silent the entire time. Her eyes widened and she walked up to her. She was very small, so Misa had to turn her entire head up to look at her. Hiroki looked at her with great interest and then grinned.

"Kya! You are so cute! You're like a doll." Hiroki said and petted her head, smiling. She grabbed her cheeks, which spread out like a pancake. Misa tried to smile but failed, for Hiroki was holding her face. Hiroki laughed at her funny face and released the hold, hugging her gently. Hiroki turned to Daichi, a grin on her face.

"Can I keep her? She's too cute!" Hiroki said and Daichi chuckled. Aoi did so as well and Madara looked at her with one eyebrow raised. The sons just smiled with amusement.

"No, she's _my_ daughter. You can play with her. I think she likes you too." Daichi smiled and turned to do other business. The sons smiled and waved at her as they followed their father. Madara scoffed once more.

"Hiroki, I leave you to your own amusements. I'll be in my room." Madara said and Hiroki nodded. He left, feeling strangely protective of her against the other sons. Aoi stared with curiosity at the exchange and smiled slyly. Misa spoke in a small, high voice.

"May I call you Hiroki-chan?" she asked with a small smile. Hiroki nodded and smiled with a grin. Aoi then turned to face Hiroki.

"Hm. Women aren't supposed to wear pants. A kimono would do. What's with the duck tails on the sides of your face? Your face is too pretty to waste it. Your body too...hmm. Eh, you could be a bit more busty, but at least you're skinny." Aoi assessed her and Hiroki stared at herself, suddenly feeling self-conscious of her appearance. With a devilish grin, Aoi grabbed a hold of Hiroki and dragged her into the confines of her room. Hiroki pried herself off her death-grip and asked what in the name of the gods she was taking her to. Aoi simply smiled slyly and told Hiroki to follow her. Curious, Hiroki followed the woman to her room, where she was told to strip her clothes. Hiroki looked at her in disbelief.

"I said take off your clothes, those are unsightly. I'm going to scrub you down and make use of your features. You know, you've got to look pretty to attract a man. I saw how you and Madara were conversing...you like him, don't you?" Aoi said and Hiroki blushed, not even trying to deny her words.

"Yes, but he already likes me back...sort of. I'm not even sure." Hiroki said shyly and Aoi grinned even further. Misa was with them too, and she began to take off her kimono.

"You can bathe with me, Hiroki-chan. I know, mum's a bit scary." Misa smiled and Aoi growled at her. "Watch what you say! Who's scary?" She said jokingly and Misa just grinned. Hiroki relaxed if Misa was going to be with them. She obeyed and relieved herself of her travel clothing. They entered the luxurious bathroom and bathed. Aoi was rough with her skin though, and Hiroki screamed when Aoi took a scrubbing brush and scrubbed her skin. The cry echoed throughout the house...

* * *

Madara joined the company of Daichi and his sons, taking careful notice of Ichiro.

"Ah! Madara, we were just discussing the topic of the alliance." Daichi said and motioned for him to enter the conversation when he arrived. They discussed further details of battle and war, and the alliances of the Senju. That's when they all heard the cry from upstairs. Daichi grinned and smiled amusingly to himself. Madara's eyes widened as he heard it.

"Fufufu. Looks like Aoi got to Hiroki..." Daichi said and Madara stared at him in interest.

"What do you mean by that?" Madara asked curiously.

"It just means mum probably is taking off her clothes right now...or worse." Masahiro noted and the three laughed to themselves. Madara did not ask anymore, though his blushing face told everything to the three brothers.

"You like Hiroki-chan do you not? What a match you two would make." Ichiro asked and Madara looked at him in alarm. His face got even more flushed. Madara harumphed and scowled.

"Admit it." Ichiro teased and Madara turned deadly cold again.

"Maybe. I'm not even sure. She's says she likes me though..." Madara said quietly and Daichi grinned even more. Ichiro's face turned a bit sad.

"That's a shame, I was actually thinking of getting her attention. Unless of course, you're lying...or I still can." Ichiro smiled and turned to his father.

"What of it, father? Can I marry her?" he asked, his eyes intentful. Daichi continued to grin.

"You've got to ask her man." Ichiro looked at his father in surprise then turned to Madara, who now had a triumphant smirk on his face.

"I say no." Madara smiled and Ichiro's face contorted into displeasure. His eyes quickly flashed again, and Ichiro returned with another grin.

"That doesn't mean I still can't be nice to her." Ichiro smiled and Madara looked at him with annoyance.

"We'll see about that." Madara said coldly and continued to stare him down. In fact, Madara felt quite satisfied. Ichiro was most likely bound to be next leader, but Madara was already head of his clan, as well as the strongest. Madara could squish Ichiro like a bug beneath his boot. The two stared each other down, Madara with his icy onyx orbs and Ichiro with his burning brown eyes.

* * *

Hiroki's skin felt raw and on fire after she left the tub. She could barely move a muscle without feeling like knives were slicing her flesh.

"What have you done?! You stripped off my skin!" Hiroki cried in agony, but Aoi simply set her down and lathered a soothing scented oil all over it. the relief was immediate and the oil was absorbed quickly into the skin, creating a soft, smooth surface. When Aoi was done, Hiroki's porcelain skin was glowing and radiant. Hiroki felt the flesh and was surprised at the softness and silkiness. She looked at Aoi in a curious thanks. Aoi smiled and patted her head. The pain faded after a few minutes and Aoi worked on her hair. Hiroki's raven locks were washed and conditioned until every strand was gleaming. It was like butter through her fingers. After it was dried, which somehow Aoi did very quickly, her hair was smoothed down so the tufts, which Aoi called ducktails, on the sides of her head were nonexistent. Her long hair fell in pin-straight locks to mid-back. Hiroki stared in the mirror and was impressed with her appearance.

"Hmph. A bit of hard work showed off! Now let's get you in proper clothes..." Aoi smiled and showed Hiroki the kimono in which she was to wear. Hiroki shivered at the sight. The last time she wore one, she could barely move without ruining it, wrinkling it, and she could not walk more than an inch at a time. Hiroki jumped up, the towel still around her body, and backed away from the silk clothing, Aoi inching closer every minute.

"I don't like to wear that...it's uncomfortable! How do you and Misa manage all the time?!" Hiroki scowled and hit the door.

"It's pretty, and you get used to it." Aoi smiled with an artificial happiness, which made her tone sound even more threatening. Hiroki could not back up anymore and did not want to risk going out without any clothing.

"Never!" Hiroki hissed and Aoi inched even closer, her creepy smile even wider. There was nowhere to escape, and Aoi got to her. Hiroki made no effort to struggle, for it was useless. As Aoi donned her with the silk, Hiroki could feel the suffocating wrap around her, made even tighter by the sash and bow. Aoi released Hiroki and stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Hiroki-chan you are so pretty!" Misa chirped and Hiroki looked at the girl, actually thinking for a moment. She took a few steps to the mirror, and found that it wasn't actually that hard to move in it. As she looked at the beautiful woman in front of her, it took her a minute to realize it was actually her. Aoi had did subtle make-up to make her eyes seem larger and her lips more red. Hiroki stared at the reflection and almost did not recognize herself.

"Am I really this way? My cheeks are fat." Hiroki said, for the first time caring about her looks and grabbing her cheeks.

"No, it makes you look youthful! It doesn't make your face look fat, just younger. Aren't I good? Heh?" Aoi smiled and Hiroki nodded, smiling in thanks. Aoi surveyed her one last time and decided to add one last thing. She took out a jewelry box and got out a Cherry blossom flower pin with hanging pearls. Aoi added it to the side of her hair and stepped back, truly satisfied. Misa nodded in agreement.

"Time for me to get ready too! You and Misa-chan can go down and show off!" Aoi winked and Misa nodded, smiling at Hiroki. Hiroki smiled gingerly and opened the door, taking a tentative step out.

"Go on! I think Mada-chan will like it too!" Misa smiled and pushed Hiroki out in the hallway.

"Mada-chan?" Hiroki smirked. Misa smiled slyly.

"It's my cute name. I love cute names. Yours would be Hiro-tan!" Misa said and Hiroki laughed.

"Misa is already a cute name so I can't do anything." Hiroki smiled and the two headed down the hallway. Hiroki could hear the voices in Daichi's big study room. This time, the door was open. Hiroki nearly got confused at the big house and the winding hallways. Misa giggled and led her to the proper paths.

"This way! you've got it backwards! If you want them to see you, it's this way."

"Ah! No thanks...it would be embarrasing!"

"Your too pretty to waste it, come on!" Misa dragged Hiroki towards the open doors, in which Hiroki dreaded to even pass.

Daichi cocked his head to one side as he heard the musical voice of his daughter.

"It looks like Misa-chan and Hiroki-chan are coming." Masahiro said and Madara turned around. He could hear their voices clearly now.

"No thanks! It's embarrassing!" He heard Hiroki say fretfully.

"It's a waste! You're too pretty in this!" Misa chirped. The voices were outside the doors. He could see Misa on the outer edge trying to drag Hiroki.

"Leave her be. Hiroki...come in, there's nothing to be afraid of." Daichi called and Misa disappointedly let go of Hiroki's arm, which Madara could see was kimono-clad. Hiroki took a deep breath and followed Misa into the presence of the men.

"Father, look! Mother fixed Hiro-tan up! Isn't she pretty?" Misa said and Hiroki sighed, embarrassed. Daichi raised one eyebrow and looked at Hiroki. He grinned. She looked completely different, even more pretty.

"Hey, Madara. How's your woman look to you?" Ichiro smirked and Madara nearly choked. Hiroki's face grew bright red but she quickly narrowed her eyes and stared at Ichiro with interest. Madara coughed loudly and turned away.

"Don't put it like that... Hiroki is uncomfortable. But I would say she looks nice. Aren't you too scared to say so yourself?" Madara growled and took a glance at her. His heart nearly skipped a beat. He was dumbstruck at the sight.

"Scared? I just wanted to see your reaction. And how you look at her like that." Ichiro grinned once more when he noticed his expression. Madara was busy looking at her to retort back. He didn't have to. Hiroki, who had been noting of Ichiro's remarks, walked calmly over to him and asked him to stand up.

"Ichiro, can stand up? I have a favor of you to do." Hiroki asked in her kindest ad sweetest voice. Ichiro smiled and looked smugly at Madara before standing and facing Hiroki. Hiroki's eyes reached his chin.

"What do you need?" Ichiro asked and Hiroki smiled.

"Just clench your teeth." She smiled and Ichiro didn't have time to ask, for Hiroki swung back her arm and landed a blow to his left cheek. The impact made Ichiro's head snap in the other direction with an audible crack. He felt his lip graze his teeth, cutting it. Ichiro could feel the welt forming and stinging by the time he turned his head back to face Hiroki. She was standing with dead-cold eyes and unmasked displeasure. Shock ran through him and he stared in disbelief at the woman. Daichi raised his eyebrows but did not question Hiroki's act, Madara stared in astonishment, while Toshiro and Masahiro gaped open-mouthed, thinking that Hiroki was incapable of doing that. Misa was speechless.

"I don't like your tone. You shouldn't be so disrespectful towards the leader of the Uchiha-clan, Ichiro. I'm sure your father agrees. However, don't think that I can't rip your guts out either. There's a reason Daichi agreed the alliance. About Madara and me...don't try to get between us, it is more of a relationship than if he likes me or not. You don't have any idea. I won't hold grudges, so regard this as a simple warning." Hiroki said quietly to him. Ichiro's eyes widened and narrowed.

"If you can hurt me, does that mean I have the right to fight back?" He said menacingly. Hiroki smiled with cold humor.

"Go ahead. I'm sure you won't be able to land a blow though." Hiroki smirked and Ichiro's lip curled up in anger. He swung his fist back, preparing to punch Hiroki in the face. Quick as lightning, Madara stood up and stopped his hand from touching her. Ichiro's hand trembled beneath Madara's death-hold. Ichiro looked at him in disgust and withdrawed. Hiroki looked at Madara and frowned.

"I could've done it myself, thanks." Hiroki said coldly.

"Better safe than sorry." He replied in the same manner. Hiroki narrowed her eyes and turned away, irritated.

"Let's go, Misa-chan. There just one too many bastards here..." Hiroki muttered to herself and Misa followed her without any words. Once out of earshot and visibility, Hiroki went to the wall and punched it. She clenched her teeth and pounded the wall again. Misa looked at her in alarm and rushed to her side.

"What's wrong?" Misa asked quietly. Hiroki let out a frustrated noise and punched the wall again. She felt sick al of a sudden. _I'm a fool. How could I just do that to Daichi's successor? Why do I just keep on talking?! Am I stupid?! And Madara...Ichiro just doesn't know how to shut up? It's about me. Why do I feel so angry when he taunted Madara? Aghh! I don't know how to do anything anymore._ Hiroki felt the hot tears of stupidity roll down her cheeks, and she punched the wall until she felt the skin break and bleed. Misa took her hand and saw her bloody knuckles. Hiroki winced at the sting of Misa's hand.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm such a fool. It...I...the words just fell out of my mouth." Hiroki said and sat down, more tears bursting out. She felt the sobs come.

"I think you showed my brother what was right. He had no right to get in-between you and Madara...nor did he have to criticize him like that. Do not be shamed." Misa said and Hiroki stared the young girl with relief and gratefulness.

"You know more than you look. Thank you." Hiroki said and stood up to embrace her. Misa smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around her as well.

"Let's not spoil your pretty face with those tears. Stand straight and tall, smiling." Misa chanted softly and Hiroki felt immensely comforted by her. Hiroki stepped back and wiped her tears from her face, still wincing at her broken skin.

"I still need to kick or punch something." Hiroki said and Misa grinned.

"The wall seemed to like it." She said amusingly and Hiroki laughed as well.

"All right! Bring it on, punk! What you got, Huh?!" Hiroki taunted at the cream-colored plaster. She was just about to throw a nice punch when Daichi once again appeared.

"Stop! You're going to break my walls!" Hiroki stopped herself just in time and turned to see Daichi with a sheepish looking Ichiro behind him.

"I'm sorry at my son's behavior. You were not wrong in least. He's here to apologize to you. No worries, Madara was taken care of." Daichi said and Ichiro stepped shyly from behind him, an uncomfortable look on his face.

"I, uh, I'm sorry about the whole with Madara. Thanks for punching me, I guess. I'm also sorry about trying to hurt you too. Is your hand hurt? It's my fault, sorry..." Ichiro said in a small voice and just trailed off awkwardly at the end.

"Thank you for apologizing. It was kind of my fault that I got carried away. Sorry. I accept the sorry and about my hand. It was from punching the wall...your face it kind of soft. No grudges, I promise." Hiroki said, but did smile. Ichiro looked relieved and sighed.

"Ah! Then that's great. I won't try to get between you and Madara. If you need to blow off some steam, I'm your punching bag!" Ichiro said, trying to lighten the atmosphere, but Hiroki just smiled a tad and nodded.

"Okay...I can't spar with these clothes...maybe next time." she said and turned away, walking to her room, Misa trailing her. Ichiro stared at her form growing ever smaller down the hall, and finally turning around the corner, disappearing. He lowered his head, feeling empty and somewhat hurt. Daichi had left the two to discuss, and he was alone in the hallway. He took a deep breath and lifted his head high, forgetting the hard feelings.

* * *

Madara had received a semi-satisfying apology, but accepted to get it over with. Ichiro had made him even more pissed off. The family dinner was extremely awkward. Ichiro was trying to be friendly and made it seem like nothing ever happened. Masahiro and Toshiro were quiet and looked shamefully at their brother. Aoi tried to lighten the mood and Daichi simply smirked at his attempts. Hiroki tried to avoid contact with him and just talked to Madara, Misa, and Aoi. She excused herself early and went to her room. Madara chased after her.

"Excuse, but I go now too." Madara said and Daichi nodded, winking at him. Madara walked to her room where she was standing awkwardly outside his door.

"What's wrong?" Madara asked. Hiroki turned to face him and didn't seem surprised to see him at all. She sighed and paced back and forth.

"Let's go in your room and talk."

"Why my room?"

"I feel more comfortable..." Madara nodded and opened the door to let her in. He followed after she went in and plopped down on the chair.

"Ichiro is trying too hard. I feel like an idiot. I'm not sure if the alliance will go well either if I'm not on good terms with the next successor. I'm not sure if I'm even a big part of this. It's all a lie, like you know." Hiroki blew out all her concerns in one blow and let him think about the decisions. He nodded and thought how to ease her fears.

"First of all, It's not a lie. You do know of the future. And don't think that you are insignificant, we wouldn't be allied with them if it weren't for the whole idea of it. I'm sure you can kickass too. The whole Ichiro thing...I'm definitely worried about you...I'm not sure I feel about him getting up in our business. I'll make sure he won't touch a hair on you. The alliance will be sound, it's not like he hates you. Daichi won't die that easily either." Madara said and Hiroki nodded. She felt confused about both their feelings about each other. Whenever someone mentioned it...it would be a touchy topic.

"Madara, how do you really feel about me? I told you mine. I'm all yours, no worries." Hiroki said and Madara blushed, looking sideways.

"You know it even if I don't say it. I guess I would say I have feelings for you. Nothing's going to change on that topic. How do I know that you won't be running to Ichiro..." Madara said and Hiroki frowned. But then she smiled, knowing Madara's real feelings.

"Then I'm glad that you finally admitted it." she smiled and Madara did so as well, feeling it all flow and let it out. He had been suppressing it, but could just feel it burst already. It all came rushing out like a waterfall. That one evil part of him disappeared beneath his emotions for her. He suddenly felt the need to protect her.

"I promise not to get too close with Ichiro or any of them." Hiroki vowed.

" How do I know that you aren't just saying." Madara knew for sure that she would never, but it was simply one of his amusing tests.

"Because." Hiroki said and smiled. She stood up and walked over to where Madara was standing. He was a head taller than her, so she had to stand on her tippy toes. Hiroki closed her eyes and reached up to press her lips against his. Madara's eyes widened but then felt the rush come, with exploding fireworks in his head. He was still shocked when Hiroki pulled away. Madara slowly snapped out of it and looked down to see Hiroki was blushing, with a soft smile on her face.

"That's my answer." Hiroki said. Madara nearly forgot to speak, still in a daze.

"Yeah...I guess so." He said softly and smiled. He could hear the beat of his heart pound loudly away in his ears. Hiroki looked at him and started laughing.

"If you can't take that...how will you be able to do anything?" Hiroki teased. Madara snapped back to reality and suddenly grinned at her remark.

"I was just taken by surprise. I can do things that will make your head spin." Madara smirked and said it in a soft, almost purring voice. Hiroki looked at him with a curious glint and the images ran in her head. She could imaging Madara and her...in a bed. Hiroki's face flushed and her nose exploded with blood. She held her hands to her face before Madara looked at her and could not hold back the laugh.

"You say I can't handle anything? Look at you, getting a nose-bleed. So perverted." He teased and Hiroki turned even redder.

"Who's perverted?! Today, you got on top of me and had this 'tickle fight'. And I saw you naked. Plus, you said you could do 'things'." Hiroki reminded him and he looked taken back before grinning again.

"Indeed. I am perverted...it just adds to your excitement." He said in that lulling tone and Hiroki had to keep back the blood.

"Stop, you're just making this worse." Hiroki said and Madara sighed. He went over and tore a strip of cloth from the bottom of his robe, tearing it in half and stuffing the rag in each of her nostrils. Madara chuckled when he saw the hilarious sight. Hiroki's voice came out nasally and high.

"Ugh. This makes my voice sound weird. La, la, la." Hiroki tried and Madara laughed. With a frown, she removed the cloth, her nosebleed thankfully stopped.

"Speaking of perverted stuff...if you like me so much, why don't you just sleep in my room for the rest of the time here..." Madara smiled slyly and picked up Hiroki, who struggled with fruitless effort and was pushed down onto the oversized mattress. Madara growled and hovered over her, his eyes filled with dominance. He then brushed aside the hairs away from her neck, revealing the white flesh of it. Madara lowered his head and began kissing her neck, biting it softly and breathing on the skin. Hiroki gasped and clenched her eyes shut. Madara yet then moved down across her collarbone and into her cleavage. She grabbed the fabric of the comforter and bit her lip to keep from screaming out. Hiroki let out a small whimper as she felt Madara begin to slide the folds of her kimono apart. Just when her robe was nearly completely splayed apart, Madara got off of her and took one look at her expression. He snickered and began into a fit of laughter. Hiroki, bewildered, opened her eyes and sat up quickly, closing her kimono and staring at Madara to see him bending over in chortles.

"Oh, god! You looked... Ah...your face!" Madara could barely say in between laughs. Hiroki frowned and grabbed a pillow. She threw it smack in his face.

"Oomph!" Madara grabbed the fallen pillow and smacked her back, a smirk still on his face.

"Did you really think I would 'Go all the way', just because a small peck on the mouth?" he scoffed and Hiroki just stared at him, the blush still creeping on her face.

"You looked really scared too...I would've teased you just a bit more...but your face...It was hilarious!" Madara said and Hiroki continued to stare red-faced.

"So? It's just...you looked really scary." Hiroki said softly, and Madara's eyes sparkled.

"Oh really now? I can get very scary..." he growled quietly and his face grew dark with a strange smile. Hiroki shivered before retreating.

"But we'll save that for your first night." Madara said casually and stood up. Hiroki let out a strangled breath and stood up as well.

"What do you mean by the first night?"

"The day you get married, the night that you get laid!" Madara said, waggling his eyebrows and Hiroki blushed again.

"Hmph. Always goes for the big guns." Hiroki muttered to herself and Madara smiled, hearing it but showing no sign to Hiroki that he did.

"Well, I should go to bed. I want to kick some Ichiro ass tomorrow." Hiroki said and yawned, turning to head out the door. Just when Hiroki was about to head out the door, he grabbed her head and turned it around to face him.

"You forgot something." He said softly and kissed her, a bit more intense than the last. Hiroki's eyes widened before smiling beneath his lips, the warm sensation growing inside her again.

"Good-night kiss. For your sweet dreams. I'm sure you'll be thinking of me all night." Madara murmured gently in her ear before Hiroki turned away once more and closed the door behind her, smiling behind it and sighing, lost in happiness. Madara turned and leaned against the door, sighing simultaneously as Hiroki, his heart still racing with the touch of her skin. Hiroki walked with the giddy happiness back to her room, smiling all the way. She fell onto the bed with exhaustion from the day's events and quickly entered the void of sleep.

Hiroki dreamed of sorrow.

* * *

_Blood was scattered everywhere. The dark droplets of scarlet filled every crack, every grain of wood in the floor, staining it the color of murder. She could not move, all she could do was stare at the sight, the silent o of her mouth, the soles of her feet soaking in the putrid liquid, her eyes filled with horror. She could not cry, not weep, not sob, she could not move a single muscle and help the sight before her. The dread of it all petrified her to the floor. After what felt like the eternity of realization, a single bead of a tear slipped down her cheek, a small strangled, choked sob finally escaped her throat. Once it began, it did not stop. It crashed down onto her like a heavy waterfall on her shoulders. The screams echoed into the night, the pounding fist onto the floor. Hiroki collapsed onto the wooden floor, the blood soaking into her clothes, her cries screaming around the room._

_"GYAHHHHHHH! GYAHHHH! NOOO! NO!" Hiroki screamed until her throat was sore, raw and her voice broke. The amount of tears could not equal the blood filling the floor, ever spreading from the single body in the room. The sorrow squeezed her heart until it broke into pieces, and she dragged herself to the body. Hiroki propped up the head onto her lap, gently tapping his cheek, tears dropping onto it, but it was of no use. The pale cold face of Hikaru was already blood-drained, his hand cold and lifeless. Hiroki could do nothing but stare at the face, one of peaceful happiness. She wanted to slap off his expression._

_"What have you done?!" she whispered, her voice gone from screaming. She felt the red already soaked into her bones, dripping off of her sleeves. Hiroki realized that this was all a dream...she was reliving the nightmare of her brother's horrid death. The pain was immense, her heart felt like someone was hammering away, stabbing it with countless knives._

_"You don't have to worry about him anymore." A voice called, soothing and calm, the voice of the man she cared for. It wasn't Hikaru. How can that be? I only love Hikaru... She saw his form, she recognized it. Madara called to her again, he was standing in the doorway, holding out a hand, his voice gentle._

_"Come. Leave his existence. I am here now. Forget him." He called, and Hiroki continued to stare at him, her face smeared with blood, her eyes filled with the everlasting pain. She felt pain and hurt, and was suddenly angry at the man before her._

_"How can you say that?! Hikaru is dead! You are nothing compared to him. My love for him outlasts everyone else." Hiroki screamed, yelling at Madara. Madara's face turned hurt, his eyes sad._

_"But I love you more than he can. He is dead, I am alive. Forget and forgive. Live for the present." Madara called, his voice thick with the hurt. Hiroki's throat began to close again. Suddenly, it felt she was torn, between her brother and him._

_"I was never supposed to meet you anyways. I should've died with my brother." Hiroki said in a cold voice and turned to her brother's cold body. With a gasp, Hikaru's body began to fade. Hiroki stared in horror at the fading brother. She felt a growing dark aura behind her._

_"Is that so? Then my love is no matter, I'll just dispose of the useless, right? Killing you is an easy feat." Madara's menacing tone cut through and Hiroki's blood turned to ice. She stood up with a start and turned around. Madara had his Eternal Mangekyou out, blazing with his evil intent. His lips were curled up a cruel smirk, his fan ready to break her spine at any moment. He continued to advance, and Hiroki began to back into the wall. She hit it with dread as Madara eventually pressed against her, his breath icy._

_"Would you forget him for me?" He said._

_"Is that a threat?"_

_"Yes..." He hissed and smiled devilishly. With bloodthirsty, burning red eyes, Madara raised his fan and grinned, swinging it down... "No-!" Hiroki gasped and-_

* * *

Hiroki woke up in a start, gasping, cold sweat all over her body. Her negligee was drenched in the icy moisture and she breathed hard, her eyes wide with fear. Hiroki felt her heart pound loudly in her ears, she gasped for breath and sat up. Hiroki got out of bed lazily, dizzily and nearly fell down. She groped for the bathroom door, and finally leaned against the door frame. Hiroki opened the door and went to the sink, her breath ragged with fear, adrenaline pumping in her blood. Moonlight streamed into the room, the the shine hitting the mirror. She did not stop to look at her disheveled form. Hiroki turned on the tap and splashed the cold water onto her face. After the wake, she breathed slowly and felt her pounding heart ebb. Hiroki looked up at her reflection to see her face; haggard and her eyes filled with fear. Suddenly, she saw blood smear her face, dripping off her chin, and the crazy grin of Madara behind her. In reflex, she punched the relfection and shattered the mirror, the glass cutting her knuckles, and she screamed, the horror returning to her. She backed into the doorframe and knocked her head. She felt her conscious slip.

The blood-curdling scream awoke Madara with a start and he realized with dread that is was coming from the opposite wall. He jumped out of bed and grabbed a katana, running out of his room and bursting open the door of Hiroki's to see her fallen form outside the bathroom door. With a gasp, he ran to her and noticed the shattered mirror. He saw her bleeding hand with glass and shards of sharp mriror fallen around her. Madara removed the dangerous shards and carefully picked her up to the bed, all too worried to even blush at her revealing negligee. He shook her body gently and Hiroki's eyes fluttered softly open.

Hiroki felt her conscious return and opened her eyes to see Madara's face hovered over her's a worried expression on his face. For a moment, she jumped and nearly screamed again, but realized that this wasn't the same Madara as the one in her nightmare. She relaxed and got up, pushing herself off of his lap. She shivered and remembered the vivid blood of her brother's corpse. Her lip quivered and she shuddered once more, tears falling off the edge of her eyes.

"What's wrong? Bad nightmare?" Madara asked softly. She nodded and buried her face into her arms. When Madara wrapped his arms around hers, she nearly flinched. Madara felt it but did not withdraw. Hiroki breathed deeply and wiped the useless tears off her face.

"It was about my brother...and you." she said slowly, and Madara's eyebrow raised.

"Oh? Tell me about it."

Hiroki's lip quivered and she bit it to stop the shaking. She turned to face him and took his hand.

"I...relived the night that I saw my brother killed...or the remains of his suicide. It felt so real. But then, I saw you. I guess if I had to choose between you and my brother, I would choose Hikaru. I don't know why...but you suddenly seemed really evil. And you tried to kill me. I kinda freaked out in the bathroom, and..." She didn't want to humiliate herself any further, but felt the cold creep back into her, the blood filling mind with sudden bursts of Hikaru - dead and cold. Madara was silent for awhile before squeezing her hand and embracing her in a warm hug.

"It's fine. It was just a dream, right?" Madara said softly and Hiroki nodded, hugging him tighter. Hiroki had no idea of his feelings, but could feel the worry creep into her stomach. Madara released her and smiled gently.

"Go back to sleep...I can stay here until you can." Hiroki nodded and lay back down, covering herself with the comforter, Madara kneeling by the bedside and holding her hand until he saw her sleep, her breathing long and slow. He stared out into the moonlight, the silvery white bleaching his skin and ghostly gray. He looked back at Hiroki and felt his emotions stir once more. He knew that he had true feelings for her... but the telling of her dream made him shiver of some sort. Deep down, in the crevices of his heart, he felt the evil stir once more. The dark swirled around and began to creep out into his outer feelings. _She knows my true self. My darkest, cruelest form. The one that kills the useless and destroys everything in his path. I am afraid one day that one self may kill her - in the midst of my goal._ Madara had no idea of what it was at his 23 self, but it was in the later that his 'real' dream came to fruition. Madara shook his head. _No! I care about her...I'll never let myself hurt her. Never. I promise I'll protect you. I'll protect you and Izuna with my life._ Madara vowed to himself and suppressed his feral darkness down again, letting his current self flow out, all the emotions to Hiroki and Izuna, and all the love that he possessed. Hiroki murmured once again.

"Madara..."

He smiled and kissed her hand, laying his head on the bedside._ I'm falling ever deeper into the hole we call 'love'._

* * *

Hiroki and Madara woke up to the sunlight pouring into the spacious room, and Hiroki lifted her head to see that Madara was still by her bedside, sleeping. With a slight stir of her hand, Madara jerked awake and stared at Hiroki.

"Ah. You asked me to stay here because you were scared. I remember now..." Madara smirked and Hiroki's eyes flared up again.

"You're the one who said you should stay here." Hiroki scoffed and let go of his hand. She yawned and lifted her arms behind her head to stretch.

"Nice view." Madara grinned, noticing her chest bulging out. He leaned against the bed with one arm, his hand pressed against his face. Hiroki looked down to see her chest sticking out of her skimpy clothes. She didn't even blush and just looked at Madara with interest.

"Like you would pay attention to these non-existent things." She scoffed and Madara chuckled softly.

"You're just being humble. Those are succulent enough for me, if you want to test it out..." He grinned and Hiroki just stared at him again, as if to say, 'Oh really now, you perverted old man.'

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. When you get laid, my friend. If... that is." Hiroki smirked and Madara raised his eyebrows.

"Hmm, it seems you've gotten better at your remarks, huh, Ms. Flat-chest?" Madara smiled devilishly and Hiroki's eyes flared in anger.

"Huh?! What you say, punk?!" Hiroki growled in-between clenched teeth and smacked him in the head. "I'll kick your ass." Madara jumped away as Hiroki tried to punch him and he slipped behind her, grabbing her arms and preventing her from moving.

"Okay, I'm sorry. But I can't lie you know..." He grinned even more as Hiroki's face grew even redder.

"You! I'll..." Hiroki knew her efforts were for vain, so she fell limp and stopped. She shook her head and pushed Madara out of the door. The two were back to ankle-biting and smart remarks. Hiroki sighed and dressed in her fighting clothes, eager to get a chunk of Ichiro's flesh. Hiroki was about to walk out the door when she remembered to bring something. She dug in her pack until she found the small weapon. It was the dagger Madara had given her on the Uchiha Council day. She smiled and strapped it to her ankle, concealed safely by the bandaging.

Hiroki walked downstairs to see that everyone was there at the dining table, with a glorious breakfast before them. Madara was also there, sitting comfortably at his mat. When they caught each other's glance, he smirked, and she narrowed her eyes. Madara chuckled softly and Hiroki held up her fist in warning, cracking her knuckles. Madara did a fake scared look, putting his hand over his mouth in pretend fear.

"I'll kill you later." Hiroki said to him.

"Yeah, well good luck with that. You hardly could do any work last night - besides murdering an innocent mirror. Oh, I'm sorry you can't see your face in it anymore. That's right...you'd better not, before you go blind." Madara was joking, but it was quite funny to him to see how Hiroki reacted. Hiroki looked at her bandaged hand and back at him. She ground her teeth and stared across the table at him.

"Hmph. You're too scared to hurt me." Hiroki said.

"I won't kill you. But I can hurt you. In many, many ways. If you know what I mean." Madara smiled and Hiroki blushed. Madara couldn't help but laugh at her dumbfounded expression.

"Oh god, you really can't take a joke can you?" Madara smiled and Hiroki grumbled to herself, sending murderous glares at him in-between bites of rice and herring.

"Hmph. Woman-abuser." Hiroki murmured and Madara grinned.

"I heard that." Hiroki glanced over at the smirking Madara. Her vein burst and she launched a chopstick at his face. He caught it with his chopsticks.

"Trying to poke out my eye now, huh? Ms. Flat-chest?" At that, Hiroki grew red and snapped the remaining chopstick in her hand. Daichi, who was watching the two, grinned in amusement at the exchange. Ichiro tried not to rip out Madara's guts...like he could,but... Masahiro was grinning, and Toshiro wasn't really paying attention. Misa ate in silence but surveyed it all, with a smirk on her face. Aoi chuckled nervously and encouraged them to continue to eat.

"Now, now, I'll get you another pair of chopsticks, huh, Hiroki? And Madara, stop provoking her." She grinned, suppressing her annoyance.

"Of course, madam." Madara smiled the most handsome smile he could muster at her and Aoi stopped, and continued to eat in a smile at her bowl of rice. She happily handed Hiroki another pair and winked at her as she did.

"He's a good one." She mouthed and Madara smirked again, taking a big bite of the inarizushi.

"He's a jackass sometimes." Hiroki said and glanced over at Madara, who finished his piece and set his chopsticks down. leaning against his hand once again, grinning at her.

"Enlighten me. Jack-ass? You seemed to like me last night." Madara smiled and Hiroki eyes widened before turning beet-red and grabbing her chopsticks and stuffing more inarizushi into his mouth. He stared at her with a muffle and tried to chew the absurdly huge piece in his mouth.

"Hehe, he's talking nonsense! Don't tell them of our personal affairs, you idiot!" Hiroki hissed and Madara swallowed.

"Ah, god, that was a big one." Madara smiled once more." Why not, my love? It's quite enjoyable to see your red face when I say such things." Hiroki took a deep breath and ate her meal in silence afterwards. The family just smirked in amusement at the conversation. Ichiro was irked at his remarks however.

"You shouldn't say such inappropriate things at a dining table, Uchiha." Ichiro growled. Hiroki bristled.

"I can say what I want, Mr. Ichiro-san. I was just having a nice conversation with Hiroki over there." Madara said and Ichiro snarled again.

"You can do whatever you want later. Don't ruin the mood even more, Ichiro-san. He was just joking." Hiroki said hastily, in attempt to ease the tension between the two. Madara glanced at her and nodded. She nodded and cocked her head ever so slightly to the exit door. He nodded again.

"We're heading out now. Thank you for the beautiful meal. Madara and I will be back later." Hiroki said kindly and bowed. Aoi winked again and Misa nodded, in which Hiroki waved back and smiled. Misa grinned and Hiroki turned to head away with Madara.

"Well. That was an interesting meal. You just had to say those things huh? Should we head out to town? I believe Izuna is coming here." Hiroki said and Madara nodded.

"Yes...I wanted to see how Ichiro would react. It seems he still got his eyes for you. Izuna won't be here for awhile! Let's have fun, shall we?" Madara grinned and Hiroki smiled.

"Sure." Madara took Hiroki's hand and led her out into the street. Past the yard, past the gates, into the busy village.

The children ran past them with vigor and youth in their eyes. Hiroki smiled as a young girl played with an older boy. The boy gave her an origami flower, and the girl smiled, giving him back an origami rose. The boy blushed and smiled. Hiroki stared at the young love before turning to Madara. He noticed her interest in it and smirked. She stared in thought at him before her eyes lighting up in idea, and she walked over to the girl.

"Excuse me, do you have a piece of paper I can have?" Hiroki asked sweetly and the girl smiled, noticing Madara beside her.

"Of course, Nii-chan!" she smiled and gave her a square piece of blue rice-paper. Hiroki smiled and thanked the girl.

"What are you doing with that?" Madara asked, curious.

"You'll see. Go buy me some taiyaki in the meanwhile. Chocolate flavor please." Hiroki smiled and Madara looked at her and scoffed. He rolled his eyes and got out his purse, selecting a few coins. Hiroki busied herself with the complicated folds while Madara went to a nearby stand and purchased some of the taiyaki. The baked pastry smelled sweet and delicious. It was shaped as a fish, and Madara preferred the red-bean flavor. He bought one red-bean and one chocolate flavor and brought it back to Hiroki. She had finished with her origami and held it behind her back.

"Give me my taiyaki and I'll give you your gift." Madara handed her the chocolate one and Hiroki unveiled the piece of folded paper. It was a delicate and beautiful nesting crane, it's wings folded in pretty waves. He looked at the simple but elegant crane before smiling and accepting it.

"I learned that from watching my best friend do it. She was always skilled with the paper. Once, she made me a golden dragon! It was beautiful. But this is all I've got for now. It's a nesting crane. May peace be bestowed onto you." Hiroki said and Madara smiled, his eyes lighting up. He went over and kissed her on the forehead. Hiroki looked at him and blushed.

"Not in public, idiot!"

"So? The leader of the Uchiha Clan can't have fun?"

"It's not that...it's kinda embarrassing. You know...you're supposed to be all high and mighty?!" Madara smiled.

"Fufufu...it's not like I made out with you in front of the entire Uchiha Council. Now that would be an embarrassment." Madara said and Hiroki sighed, biting into her pastry. The girl from before smiled at her and waved good-bye. She waved back.

"Ah. Now where to have fun?" Madara said and Hiroki shrugged.

"Wherever we feel the most comfortable." Hiroki responded.

"Hmm? Home's not around. Izuna's miles away. Where would that be?" Madara mused.

"It's home where the heart is. I'm home if I'm with you. It would be more complete if Izuna were here though." Madara smiled. They finished their small treat and tossed the paper wrapping. The morning sun continued to beat down with it's unrelenting rays, and Hiroki felt the spring air heat up.

"It's cherry blossom season?" Hiroki asked as she saw a sakura petal drift over the roof. Several more came. They stopped to stare at the sky. Many pedestrians looked up at the beautiful sight as well.

"It looks like it's a bit early this year." Madara said, squinting at the bright light.

"What an unexpected surprise!" Hiroki smiled and glanced over at Madara. He smiled back.

"Indeed."

The sakura drifted over the pleasant spring air, filling it with a sweet scent.

* * *

Izuna stared at the man before him, his eyes burning with his Mangekyou. He felt his gut ooze more blood.

"You sneaky bastards." He said before coughing up a lump of blood.

"This is for that woman and your meddlesome brother. He's the bastard here." The man snarled and punched him in the gut again. Izuna's breath flew out of his lungs, and he gasped, choking on his own spittle and blood. His breath came out ragged and choked once the coughing it was done. Izuna growled in pain and wrenched his wrists against the rope tying them to the pole. The friction of it caused his skin to become raw and bloody.

"You can never kill me." Izuna said and the man's nostrils flared up in anger.

"You son of a bitch! I can kill you whenever I want." He roared and grabbed his katana, ready to slash open his throat. Izuna smiled and his Susano flared up around him, and the katana broke off like a flimsy toothpick.

"I'll keep on hitting you till that wears you down, you sick Uchiha scum." he spat at him and stared at the useless stump of a sword he had left. With a scoff, he threw it away and got another one out. Izuna narrowed his eyes and let his Susano fade.

"Hmph. You wouldn't dare kill me. Madara would kill you back. All of you. Hiroki would decimate your bones to a pile of dust and ashes. Hurt me all you want. I will not die. Besides, your true goal is to lure them here, is it not? Hmm, Mikazuki Uso?" The man looked taken aback before his eyes widened and stabbed his arm. Izuna bit back the scream in his throat and jerked his arm. The katana, still attatched to his arm, flew backwards and the hilt jabbed him in the jaw. The force knocked his teeth together and left Uso dazed.

"You piece of filthy shit." He snarled and ripped the sword from his arm. Izuna screamed. The pain was unbearable. Any day now and the wounds would fester. If he got gangrene, his limbs would no doubt be cut off...and he'd be dead anyway. The man threw the katana to one side and began punching Izuna's face. Izuna felt his mouth grow bloody from the countless cuts. In one last blow, his neck snapped to one side and he felt the black creep over him, his vision growing hazy. With the next blow, the darkness was complete.

The last thing he remembered was seeing the ground whirl before him, voices swirling in his head.

* * *

**Chapter 8 END**

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the support! Gosh! Special Thanks to : **xGuiltyXGigglesx03, 71511, LivingAnEverlastingDream, VKlover13, nekochan354**, and all of my friends for reading this. Especially to my Asian cousin and my Mexican friend. I love you all! Now seriously... Lets get this cracking! Shit just got real!_

_What to expect in Chapter 9: _

_-Izuna and his adventure with the Mikazuki. Uso especially. I said I would do a Izuna arc and a Mikazuki revenge arc. Why not combine?_

_-More slight lemons with Hiroki and Madara_

_-Ichiro and his shiz_

_-Misa cuteness! And Aoi being all perverted_

_-New GOOD OC! _

_I will try to update between 3-5 days. Maybe sooner if I got time! Latest is a week. This was an exception because I seriously was on vacation, okay!_

_Now...about Hiroki x Madara... Yeah. It's like they know they are in love. And they have their weird arguments, and their perverted ones, especially with Madara being all like a horny old man! But they would die for each other. They know it's growing, it's becoming stronger every moment. Just to say... It was around February when it first started. Then it was around March when the Uchiha council and shiz came around...then it was like...late April when they went to the big trip. Cherry blossoms bloom around late May to early June in Japan. In Washington D.C. They bloom in April! Whoop Whoop. But we're in Japan. So it took 3 months for them to understand that they loved each other... Not bad, right? Much better than some people in right now... :P. Yeah. Love in the current world does not last long... :'_

_Anyways...I love you all. Please review and favorite if you read this! Please, follow me! Please, Please! It just takes a button! Come one! You know you wanna! Just write something sweet and cute! Please! Please! Just even say : I'm glad you're Japanese! or Hey! It's ASIAN TIME! or I LOVE YOU! or even I WANT MADARA NAKED!_

_Come on... you know we all want to see Madara's pubes...okay I got shivers just thinking of it._ ~ _BLECH._ _*ShUdDeR*_

_Loves, Hiroki-chan! and Rima-chan! and the Mexican!_ o3o


	9. Chapter 9: Dyed With Scarlet

_Yo! It's Rima-chan! I'm addicted to Kamui Gakupo! He has such a sexy voice...(Kyaa!) Anyways... I think my chapters will be over 10,000 words from now on! So for those who enjoy the long chapters~ Kudos to you! Anyways...continue to listen to those songs listed in the last chapter...They're addictive. So. Here we go again with our story! Please read it and post a review, follow, and favorite! Anything would be fine, so please! I am in pitiful need of support... :'(. By the way...I thinks I'll postpone the new OC till later._

* * *

**Chapter 9: Dyed With Scarlet**

"GYAHHHH!" His throat was sore and raw. He screamed until he felt blood slick the inside of it. The man laughed in his face and kicked him again in the face. Izuna could feel the blood drip down his collar, already stained with it. He was bruised and beaten, and could feel his wounds sear with infection. He had been here for 2 days, and they continued to torture him, out of the pure pleasure of his screams of agony. Izuna felt like a broken marionette, dragged by it's strings and bruised until it's porcelain broke and shattered. His pale skin was no longer it's pure color, now stained and filled with the black and blue splotches, accompanied by the crimson liquid dripping down his every surface. They had healed him, only to beat him again. The pain and agony was continuous...

"Like that now? Do you wish to die now?! You disgusting Uchiha." Uso kicked him again and the red droplets continued to splatter in front of him.

"No. I want to see your ugly faces when Madara kills you all. Who's disgusting filth? You are for treating a human as such. Unsightly." He spat the words out with his own spittle and blood. It landed on the man's foot. Uso's eyes flared like a treacherous flame, then grew hateful and venomous.

"I'll kill you now."

"That's an overused sentence, don't you think?" Uso wanted to slap off his smug expression. Izuna chose his words carefully, but didn't care whether he dared to break his bones or not, it would all come to an end with his smirking face and Uso's blood spilled. Uso roared in anger and kicked him again. Izuna flared his Susano once again, and an audible crack was heard when Uso's foot hit the ribcage. He yelped in pain and retreated back, his kneee bent at an awkward angle.

"Damn you, worthless shit." He gritted between his teeth and shuffled away painfully to find a medic. Izuna looked at the small light in front of him. It was from the window behind him. He was in a cage, chained in rope and manacles to a thick metal pole. His clothes were in tatters and his supplies looted. Izuna stared at the light and bellowed, resisting against the chain. His scabbed over wounds broke again and it cut into his wrists, the all familiar warm blood spilling over his arms. Izuna roared again, and a small tear rolled down his dirt covered face filled with grime and gore. It left a small track against the filth.

_Oh god, help me._

* * *

The sound of a breaking object reverberated around the street. Hiroki returned from her reverie after the sound. She turned her head to see a woman bending over and picking up the shards of a broken clay pot. She winced as the sharp edge cut her. Hiroki's eyes narrowed and she looked to the sky again. The sakura were gone. Not a singe petal. Even the ones in the sky before had not fallen on anything. Her gut twisted with a paranoid feeling. She sensed a great fear, but she worried it away.

"I think something's wrong." Hiroki voiced her concerns. Madara looked at her and snorted.

"You're overly superstitious."

"Am not. I'm godly, remember?"

"Yeah, a fake one."

"Not really. I mean, how did I end up in your time again?"

"I don't know?! How am I supposed to guess that?! Well, for all I can sum up is: you are lying and the future invented a time machine so you could go back and change the past or something. What does that have to do with broken pottery again?"

"It doesn't. I just have a gut feeling that something's bad is going to happen. And I assure you. A time machine is impossible. Nobody can warp the time-space continuum."

"Yeah, and I'm going to die of Ichiro. Oh, and you'd be surprised at the skills of certain shinobi..."

"..."

"Sigh...Let's just get going, idiot." Madara said and turned to head back to Daichi's residence, twirling the crane's tail between his fingers, gently spreading the wings back and forth. He smiled at the little creation and tucked it inside his robe. Hiroki noticed his small amusement at her origami and linked her arm around his.

"Where to, Mada-chan?" Hiroki smiled sweetly and Madara looked at her in disbelief, nearly disgusted.

"What's with the cute names?! Let go of me! Ah, don't use that voice, it's creepily too nice..." He exclaimed and tugged his arm away, walking faster to get ahead of her. Hiroki pouted and ran to catch up, in which Madara just ran even faster.

"Ta-da!" Hiroki said and tapped his arm, running at full speed back to the house.

"Oh no, you don't." Madara scoffed and sped even faster, Hiroki grinned, evenly matching his pace. Madara smirked and further increased his speed until Hiroki couldn't catch up. She quickly fell behind, to her dissatisfaction.

"Hey! No fair! Grr!" Hiroki growled angrily and picked up a rock. She hurled it at Madara's head, and it hit with a loud _thunk_.

"Oww!" He stopped and turned around to see Hiroki jeering at him. He sighed and smiled gently. Hiroki then walked back to his side and punched his arm softly.

"That's what you get for being a jack-ass."

"Who's talking here?"

"You."

"That's not the point, idiot."

"Hey, that's my line!"

"It's mine now, idiot."

"Hey!" Madara laughed at her fuming expression and they continued to walk back to the house.

"Madara?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you even bother to like me? Or rather, why do you like me?"

"That's a silly question. I like you because you are _you._"

"Yeah, but what part of me?" Madara pretended to scratch his head in thought, pretending he couldn't think up of anything. Hiroki frowned and kicked him again. This time, he jumped back to avoid the kick in his shin and Hiroki nearly fell backwards, but he caught her hand. When she was upright, Madara held back his chortles while Hiroki snapped at him in annoyance.

"Sorry! Just a joke! Well, let's see...you have tiny boobs, you suck at detecting presences, you get annoyed/ pissed off/angry easily, hot-headed, doesn't pay attention sometimes...no scratch that, A LOT of times, tend to hurt yourself and overly sensitive, don't even mention that you overreact." Madara prattled. Hiroki looked at him in disbelief and could only bite back the curses itching at her tongue as Madara shook with amusement.

"Just that?" she said between gritted teeth.

"Of course not! God your reaction just proved all those points, by the way." Hiroki did a double take before taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"You're the one provoking me here."

"I guess. I'm sorry, my love."

"Ech! Don't use that. It sound strange coming from your mouth."

"Alright. Ms. Flat-chested."

Hiroki made a strangled noise in her throat. Madara just laughed again.

"Whatever, Madara. Get on with the conversation."

"Ah, I'm crying of this. Ah." Madara stopped to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes. "Anyways... well, I guess you're beautiful. In my eyes at least, or if you count Daichi's sons as well. You're stubborn, but that can be a good thing. You stick with your word and never let go. Once you said something or said you would do something, you never go back on your word and always get it done. You're willing to sacrifice for what you love. Me, to be exact. You want to protect me. You can listen to what I say...but that's a rare one...Fufufu. Ah. And somehow, you can always seem to make me laugh and smile, and I guess that stops my very short fuse of impatience..." Madara smiled gently and looked at Hiroki. Her eyes were filled with wonder. Hiroki took a moment to absorb it all, then looked at Madara with a small smile on her face.

"Thank you." she said softly.

"Now, what of me?"

"Now this will be interesting... as you said, you have very little patience, if any. If you want something, you have to get it done immediately. You can also get very annoyed/ pissed off/ angry easily as well. And if it comes to that...there will be consequences. To make it short, you have anger issues."

"Why thank you, that makes me feel so good about myself."

"The truth hurts, don't you think?"

"..."

"Back to your description..." Madara said, slightly ticked off.

"See what I mean?"

"Yes, but you're exactly the same."

"On a smaller scale. But, back to our topic. You're one hell of a pervert. Or should I say...you can make me, ahem, blush." Hiroki looked away with a red face at that, in which Madara smiled curiously. "Yes, I have yet to experience that. Other than that specific side of you...I like you because the almighty Madara seemed so much like my Nii-san. Always caring for me, but harsh for others. Soft and gentle with me, but could kill another without second thoughts. An excellent warrior, skilled and a prodigy, one to look up to and admire. Your strength and courage...they are something that I can say you are worthy of. An amazing samurai!"

"You didn't say I was handsome."

"...*Blush*..."

Madara chuckled.

"Must I?"

"Why not? It's one other reason, right?"

"It's an insignificant one."

"No it's not. Looks count too. I wouldn't fall in love with an ugly girl."

"Neither would I marry a horrid-faced man- no matter the amount of money, strength, or fame he has. But...if there was one handsome man, and he was evil, and there was a lesser man in looks, but was kind and intelligent, then I would choose the latter. Brains over brawn... er...over looks. But definitely not if he was just incredibly disgusting to look at."

"Hmm. True point. But here, you have both looks and my incredible brawn."

"But you have an interesting sense of humor, as well as a short fuse."

"Ah. Well that doesn't matter, as long as I'm nice with you, right?"

"...lets just say that..."

"Haha! My, we'll see about that. I promise I won't kill you. That's all I'm saying."

"Sigh. What a stupid fool you are, Madara." Hiroki smiled and walked ahead of him, already to the entrance of the house. The conversation had lasted them the entire trip back. Hiroki pushed open the heavy door and entered. It was still and quiet except for the soft murmurs coming from Daichi's big room. When they walked closer, Hiroki recognized them as Daichi and Ichiro.

"We shouldn't disturb them. It could be something important."

"And I'm not important? The reason we're here is for important matters. Speaking of which, you have duties to perform, do you not? I have plenty to do concerning the political business." Madara said and Hiroki frowned.

"Duties? Was I not informed of this? I was only here for,what, not even two days?"

"Ah. I remember now. Daichi was supposed to tell you of them. I'll be in my room. He's in there. Don't even worry about disturbing them. You are as important as me. Remember that." Madara said and resumed his natural, serious form. The way he was always when he carried out his leadership. He turned away and headed up the stairs. Hiroki was left with the echoing footsteps in her ears. She noticed the conversation stopped inside the room. Footsteps toward the door. It opened to reveal Ichiro peeking his head out.

"We heard your voices. Ah, it's just you? Where did Madara go?" Ichiro's tone of voice turned into relief and kindness when he saw that her partner was not there.

"Madara has his papers to attend to. Speaking of businesses, I have a certain matter to talk to Daichi about." Hiroki said softly and forcibly smiled.

"Oh...Then you may come in." Ichiro said warmly and opened the door for her to enter. Hiroki entered and saw Daichi sitting with a pipe in his mouth, the smoke curling in grey wisps around him. He did not look surprised, rather his expression showed that he was expecting her.

"You have come. I believe I heard Madara talk to you of that. Yes, I have matters to discuss with you...You were supposed to be in our conversation yesterday...but you got sidetracked by Aoi. Come, sit." He motioned for her to sit on the luxorious pad at the low table. Hiroki sat and stood straight.

"Uchiha Madara and Izuna have come here for the past two weeks. It is now that Uchiha Hiroki has joined us. We have yet the Sarutobi Clan meetings for you to attend. They expect you there soon. We will review much of what I said with you and Madara yesterday, as well as the conversations we had without your brief presence. In the meanwhile...your duties. You have yet to prove us that your words are true. About your 'ability'. Let me ask you a question. Perhaps this will prove it all. Tell me. What do you know of your ability and what can you do know about it?" Hiroki swallowed at his question. She breathed slowly and grew serious. But it all came crashing down. The image of the mysterious and almighty Hiroki- the one who can predict the future- the amazing Hiroki with her ability! She could see it all shatter, the brittle lie crumbling to dust.

"It is not an ability. It is knowledge. A specific amount of knowledge that came with me when I was sent here somehow by the Gods to 'aid' the Uchiha. I know mostly about the future of the Uchiha, because it is my clan. And much of others, including the Sarutobi, futures as well. This knowledge is limited and will never grow. At least what I know of...This is something that you cannot know. It is something that may have dire consequences if I told you of your clan's future. Do you understand?" Hiroki said, trembling. She waited for him to say that the alliance was over.

"Is that so? Then what you said before was a lie? Will you not help us in time of need? Will our clan crumble?" The words pierced Hiroki like javelins hitting her at full speed. Her choked breath caught in her throat. It grew to a large lump, cutting of her oxygen. The wetness formed at her eyes, which eventually spilled over the edge, rolling down her cheek and dripping off her chin. A small sob escaped her lips and she wiped away her useless tears.

"Hic. Hic. Sniff...It wasn't a lie. But not completely the truth as well. This knowledge...it is both a gift and a curse. A gift for knowing what will be for the future...and maybe giving hope to those that need it...but a curse for the fact that it burdens everyone...especially him. Madara...he has to live knowing that the one he cares for knows when he'll die, how he dies, when his brother will perish, and how our clan will fail and succeed. He has to live with the fact that I know his every bit and piece...while the one he loves has this piece of her...a single shard of a secret that he will never get to see. This little bit of poisonous knowledge fills my every core with the pressure of it's duty. Why? I ask, Why?! Why did they give me this one task... to help him, maybe? But...I can't know how?! How will I help him?! How can I do so without knowing that if I tell him, if I proceed to change the past... will something bad happen?! Perhaps...will she lose her own life?! How would that man feel? How does it feel to know that the one you love and know, you don't know at all?!"Hiroki was nearly hysterical with tears and she was almost screaming, her voice escalating to a shriek. Hiroki slumped down and let the tears flow helplessly out of her eyes. She pulled her knees to her face and buried herself in it's confines. Daichi was silent as his piercing eyes continued to stare at her disheveled form. Ichiro watched in sorrow at the girl.

He himself has a gift and a curse. That of being the next successor. His actions...even on a mere whim could change the fate of a thousand lives in his clan.

Daichi watched as Hiroki lifted her head and began to speak again.

"What is the use of this knowledge if it kills me? What is it to give hope and peace when in turn, destroys and savages it's owner? It's not a lie that I can help you by revealing the future of your clan...but it can also kill you. What would it bring if the past altered the future? How would it all come to an end? These questions and thoughts have poisoned me with such guilt and pressure. I can help you in time of need. If I deem that it is reasonable. Perhaps I won't even tell you of the knowledge. I would just carry out the duty and wait for the Gods to strike me down. To answer your question...I do know if your clan will crumble or not...but it depends on how you would use that knowledge. So, I beg you, Daichi-sama, please...I am already sick and tired of this dark secret of mine. Don't make me more miserable by adding to the guilt that I ruined the alliance and that I am nothing but a useless heap of nothingness..." The sobs came again.

"Hmm. Such a sad fate for you...Uchiha Hiroki. Very well. I merely only want to know a bit of our future to ensure that we still have hope. We can still fight to live and pursue what is right. Do you believe this is the ideal of your knowledge?" Hiroki lifted her head and stared at Daichi with compassionate eyes, filled with relief.

"Is the alliance sound?"

"As long as you give me hope that it will be." Hiroki smiled, eyes filling with tears of joy. Her emotions swirled in gratitude, pain, and pressure. Her burden lightened by a ton. But there still were several more tons left on her shoulders.

"I will. Your clan is fine. I will give you your wanted hope. I thank you, Sarutobi Daichi, for listening to me, and accepting my words."

"Yes. I was quite disappointed that your previous information, or rather, Madara's information was a bit misleading. But I am glad that I can still make use of the actual truth. It just didn't turn out the way I expected. This new information will change the game plans..."

"I'm sorry. It wasn't Madara's fault. He was simply trying to protect my secret...one that involves further complications. I will not tell you, of course. It is between me and him. And it was also because I had only tried to tell him the littlest of the needed information...so the conclusion came even farther away from the original truth. But what I just told you is the truth. The tip of the ice-berg...shall I say."

"I see. I shall not dig any more and respect your requested boundaries. I am also respecting you and Madara's own personal affairs. I am sorry to hear that you feel so guilty of the matter with him. It is truly pitiable. But I assure you...he cares for you with his entire whole and does not even doubt a bit that you are not he truly thinks you are. he looks past your personal secrets and into your heart...and that is what matters. He will give you what you need. Nothing can seperate that...not even your secrets. As for my knowledge..."

"Ah! Yes...I believe you will be quite happy."

"I'm glad to hear such words!"

"You, like all other clans, the Sarutobi will have to face some hardships within the war...but none of significance. Afterwards...the war will be over, I assure you, and with it, a whole new world. A world so beautiful and full of new opportunities. The Sarutobi will be a big part in this. You will help lead this new world...and join it with strength and force. In this new world, it will flourish and grow...with new generations and new lives. One of your descendants will one day become a famous leader in the new world...and he will become well known through all the lands. He will become so powerful and so great, that everyone will admire and love him-and trust him with their lives. He is the descendant of you- I know because he has your same exact face right now..." Hiroki finished with a bright and confident smile. She remembered the third Hokage...he was one she truly admired. One truly fitting for the title of Hokage. He leaded the new world of Konoha to a better place.

Daichi stared at her with pride and happiness. The words felt more valuable than gold to him.

"You...you met him? My descendant? The one that will be a leader of the new world? Is it Ichiro?" At that, Ichiro stared with hopeful eyes at her, filled with a bright curiousity that left Hiroki feeling guilty that it wasn't him...

"Yes. I did meet him. I knew him very well...but he was much older than me at the time. It definitely wasn't Ichiro. It's probably his great grandson or something though..." Hiroki said quietly and his face fell, but Daichi's did not.

"That's great! He's still related to me! One for the Sarutobi!" he exclaimed and looked at Hiroki with renewed hope.

"Thank you. You have given me more than what I asked for. May you live happily here. I am even more willing for the alliance now." Daichi said, his caramel eyes burning with passion. Hiroki released a small tear of gratitude.

"Sniff. Sniff. You have let me stay here...you've created peace between our clans...there is nothing more I could possibly ask for. Sniff. Hic!" Hiroki bowed her head in a warm smile and the tears dripped onto her thighs, blurring her vision in happiness.

"No, Hiroki. You are the one who did so. You are the one who has given me such hope. With it, I give you much gratitude. I will now try to fulfill your wishes more keenly." he said and Hiroki sniffed even more. She stood up, a great big smile on her face, filled with light and strength.

"Then I shall do anything you ask me to do. For my life. I salute, and bow to you, Daichi-sama." Hiroki said and bowed her head, raising her hand to her forehead in a salute.

"You have no more to do right now. You may be dismissed." Hiroki bowed and walked out the door, sending a soft glance at Ichiro's direction before she left. Ichiro smiled back and held the door for her as she did.

"That girl...she is more than what I asked for." Daichi said in astonishment and Ichiro nodded.

"It's a shame, really, that I couldn't marry her."

"Nonsense! She loves Madara, and he loves her! I will not tolerate that you try to seperate them!"

"No! I respect that...its just I wish she'd be a bit less cold on me. I promise not to get between them."

"Very well. But keep your overly sensitive words to yourself."

* * *

Hiroki walked up with tears of joy streaming down her face up to Madara's room. She knocked exitedly, a smile and tears on her face. Madara heard the knocks and got up annoyed at the continuous knocks.

"What is-" Madara stared at the crying Hiroki as she looked at him with tear filled eyes.

"Madara..." Hiroki embraced him and cried into his warm chest. Madara looked at her in surprise and then hugged her back, stroking her head gently.

"M-Madara..."

"What is it now? Did Ichiro do something again? I'll kill him for you." Hiroki continued to sniffle on his robe.

"Sniff. No. It's something good."

"Then why are you crying?"

"Because I'm so happy." Her voice was muffled by the fact is was still buried in his arms.

"Come on now, get out of there. You're getting my front all wet. I can't see your face." Hiroki obliged and peeked her face up to look at his. Madara wiped away her tears with his thumb and caressed her face with his hand. Hiroki smiled and touched his hand on her face.

"Daichi is really happy right now. I think what I told him made him all excited."

"What do you mean by that..."

"Ah! Madara! You're so perverted!"

"Shut up!"

Hiroki told him of their conversation. He nodded and petted her head.

"I'm not a dog, thank you."

"Good girl."

"..."

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome, Hiroki-chan!"

"Agh! Don't call me that...it sounds funny coming from you...Mada-chan..."

"Hippocrate."

"Flat-chested."

"Don't make me kick you again."

"Like you did last time...ah that's right...You nearly fell backwards."

"Whatever. Don't ruin my happy mood."

"Of course, love."

Hiroki shuddered at his sudden usage of strange names. Madara continued to grin at her amusing reactions. He held her closer to him and Hiroki blushed, but wrapped her arms tighter around his torso. She sighed contently to herself and buried her face within his chest again. Hiroki breathed in the scent of him, and filled herself with the familiarity, feeling like she was on cloud nine.

"I...love...you." she whispered softly to his chest and looked up slightly to see if he heard. Madara just stared at her without any change in emotion. Hiroki let out a sigh of relief. Madara smiled to himself. He sure heard it, softly, but sure. After a minute of their bear-hug, Madara stroked her head gently.

"I love you too..." he whispered into her ear. Hiroki shivered and blushed.

"Just kidding!" Madara said and Hiroki stared opened mouthed at him. Madara grinned again and poked her in the forehead.

"I forgot to add - you're so gullible." he smirked and before she could speak, he gently pecked her on the lips.

"Well, I have work to do, in which you interrupted me so rudely. Get on with your own personal business." Madara smiled and closed the door in her face. Still stunned, she regained herself and shook her head several times. She smiled softly and entered her own room. Just a nap... she said sleepily and laid down on her bed. Thoughts swirled around in her head.

Flashback...

* * *

_"Hikaru! Hikaru!" Hikaru stopped abruptly and swallowed. His fellow teammates looked at him in alarm. They all turned around to see a bouncing girl race to them, dressed in ANBU uniform and smiling at Hikaru. In her hand was a mask in the form of a cat. Hikaru raised his eyebrows beneath his mask and held up his hand to his face, trying to cover himself in embarrassment._

_"What the heck are you doing here, Hiroki?! Stop bothering me. Why are you in our uniform?" he walked away from his team and pushed his mask to the side. Hiroki frowned at his angry expression._

_"B-but...I..." Hiroki looked at him in confusion. Hikaru widened his eyes as he saw the Hokage walk up behind her. He put a hand on Hiroki's shoulder and Hiroki turned around to see his face. It blossomed into relief as soon as she saw his eyes._

_"Hikaru...your sister joined the ANBU today. I put her on duty. She is not trying to bother you nor embarrass you. You should be proud that your own sibling and student has joined you by your side in equal rank." the Hokage said and Hikaru looked at his sister in astonishment. He looked surprised before smiling and putting a gentle hand on her head, ruffling her hair._

_"Why didn't you tell me, idiot! You nearly gave me a heart-attack!" Hiroki pouted and then smiled her 16 year old smile._

_"I wanted to surprise you Nii-chan! You know I would never come here though."_

_"You did last year."_

_"It was urgent!"_

_"For what? You got locked out of our house?! You could have pick-locked it at any rate, don't disturb me and just go to Jun's or Takeo's house in the meanwhile."_

_"Didn't you say not enter any boys house while you're not around."_

_"Aish! It was an emergency. Seriously...you could hurt them or scream or something if they ever tried to touch you, anyways."_

_"I panicked, okay! Hikaru is such a sourpuss. Blech." Hiroki stuck her tongue out at him. He sniffed and gritted his teeth._

_"Say that when I kill you." He snorted and turned away._

_"Wahh! Hikaru's being such a meanie! I'm gonna cry!" Hiroki wailed and tears began at the corner of her eyes. Hikaru stopped and turned around again, he walked up quickly to her and smacked her in the head. Hiroki stopped and looked at him with wide eyes. His expression was one of pure annoyance, and his voice was icy when he spoke._

_"Stop being such an ass. This is why you're such a bother sometimes. Grow up. I taught you not for you to always rely on me, but to help yourself. Be independent." He turned away quickly as Hiroki stared at his retreating form. She swallowed the lump and grew cold. Hiroki looked down and clenched her fists. When she looked up again, she felt her sharingan burn with new determination._

_"Then, Hikaru, I promise I'll never lose to you again."_

_Hikarue turned around in surprise. He expected her to cry and sniffle as she always did when he yelled at her. He saw her flaming eyes. He smirked._

_"That is, if you can catch me." In a flash, he launched his Mangekyou out and his katana flew with sparks as he jumped into the air, Hiroki smiled and whipped out her own sword, countering his attack. She felt her muscles fill with all the nights and days, the afternoons she'd spent honing her skills, developing new ones, bleeding and scarring. She felt her energy rise and her chakra crackle. With a burst of energy, her katana filled with the wind chakra. Hirkaru looked at her, impressed._

_"So you've found a few neat tricks."_

_"That's not all." Hiroki smiled and stared at his beautiful, hypnotizing Mangekyou eyes. She closed her eyes and felt the Mangekyou swirl into shape beneath her lids. When she opened them, she gasped._

_"If it were in real life, you'd be dead by now." Hiroki turned to see Hikaru smiling by her ear, his katana on her throat._

_"In a blink, I could kill you. You've still got plenty to learn. Not only your eyes..." he smiled and Hiroki collapsed, gasping air on the ground, her eyes swirled back to normal, but they were still wide open with fear. She went back to a couple months before...where his beautiful face was covered in blood, his sleeves drenched in crimson, his eyes filled with the feral blood of others. I've learned. I've grown. But I can never be better than him. With a fustrated breath, Hiroki clenched her teeth and pounded her fist on the dirt._

_"I'm a useless pile of shit." she screamed into the dirt and felt the arms of the Hokage drag her up._

* * *

Hiroki opened her eyes and felt the small tear roll down her cheek.

"Useless..." The word felt ugly on her tongue.

_No. No more. I am someone. I am a person. A person who has done something._

Hiroki smiled and felt the thoughts continue to roll.

How have I come this far? How have I possibly gone back to the past and fallen in love that man?

It all came swirling in her mind...

The day that her fellow ANBU showed up at the house, their faces grim and their swords drawn. And when they attacked her...with a flash she killed them all. Realizing the horrible guilt that grew in her stomach, she claimed herself as a murderer and ran, taking her only essentials and wishing that Hikaru had never died. Then...the moment they caught her. And how the katana plunged through her heart.

Then waking up to a whole new world. One with him in it. The memories all came to thought...from the moment she bumped into him...to the roof-talks...to the day he carried her on his back...all the times he had saved her in times of need...the kiss...to the crane and taiyaki from earlier today._ How did I ever fall in love with him? _

Hiroki fell back into the trance, the memories of Madara and Hikaru all mixing into her own personal thoughts... It was not long before nightfall came, and she remembered that Izuna was supposed to be here today. With an exited leap, she jumped out of the bed and swung down the steps. She saw Madara pacing back and forth near the entrance. He seemed uneasy.

"Eh? Where's Izuna? Isn't he supposed to be here? Kaito went to escort him, right?"

"Yes. But they should be back by now. I'm thinking of going to that clearing myself."

"You think something bad happened?"

"Possibly."

"Then I'll go with you."

"Fine." Madara motioned for her to get ready and leave soon. Madara stalked off to Daichi to tell him of the intentions. Hiroki quickly retrieved her supplies and headed down to see that Ichiro was also with them. Daichi was there too.

"Hm. It seems as if they got into a little trouble. Take Ichiro with you. He knows the land around here better."

"Understood." They departed and headed there at full speed. Within 30 minutes, they arrived at the clearing. Kaito was there, but no trace of Izuna. Kaito was patiently waiting on the ground, and looked relieved when he saw them coming.

"The Uchiha is not here yet. It's been two hours. Do you think that he might have encountered trouble along the way?" Madara stiffened beside Hiroki.

"There's no way he could have been caught. He's probably just lagged a bit, that's all. We'll likely see him tomorrow if not later this night. Kaito and I will keep guard here to see if her does. You and Ichiro can head back." he said and Kaito nodded. Hiroki felt the unease from the morning grow in her again.

"Madara...I think we should probably retrace his steps. He would be on time, I know it. I can feel it in my stomach...I think he's hurt!" Hiroki said, trembling. Madara narrowed his eyes.

"No. For today, it's possible that he may be a bit late. But he wouldn't get injured or if he did, he'd kill all the attackers and be here soon. I'll listen to your idea once I know for sure that he's not just lagged or anything."

"But how long?! He could be dead by then!" Madara's eyes flared.

"Don't you think that I would care for my brother's safety over anything?! Are you saying that he's incapable of handling for himself? It sounds to me like you're saying I'm not worried about him. Damn right I am. It's just I know that he just won't die. He's strong." Madara hissed and Hiroki swallowed. She undrstood his great love for Izuna...for which she could never match.

"Okay...it's just...I'm scared. Sometimes...no matter how strong or brave you are...you can still be caught by the oldest trick in the book. You can still be caught off-guard. I'll listen to your instructions. But if he's not here in 3 days, I'll go after him myself whether you allow me to or not. I am as worried about him as you are." Hiroki said and Madara was silent.

"I'll go with you when that time comes. I'm sorry...it's just I've been anticipating him, and it just twisted my gut when I saw that he was late...or possibly worse. Go. I'll keep station here." Madara turned his back and stared with a growing dread in him. Hiroki nodded to Kaito and Ichiro. Ichiro and her headed back to the trees. The sun was sinking in the sky, and the twilight was fading by mere seconds.

_Izuna, you'd better hurry before Madara blows with impatience..._

* * *

"Hah...hah...GYAHHH! GYAH!" The screams echoed throughout the hollow hall. Uso cackled and pressed the hot-red rod against his stomach again. Izuna felt the raw of his skin burn like a million suns were concentrated on that red-tipped rod.

"You like that boy?! You like how it burns? I'll give you more..." Uso's eyes filled with malevolence and pure evil.

"I'll kill you when I can. Or Madara. That'll be such a fate for you." Izuna coughed out, nearly blacked-out from the excruciating pain.

"When will he ever come? Hmm? Oh what a pleasure it would be to see his face when he sees his beloved little brother- the last of his family- dead! Oh , this is rich!" he smiled evilly and Izuna shook in fear, his insides turning at the sight of the red hot poker. The thought of it piercing his skin again made him woozy.

"Here, have some more..." Uso grinned and Izuna shook against his holds.

"NO! Don't come any closer! No!" The last of his reserves of chakra was gone. He'd spent the past 3 days and a blocking Uso's certain tortures, but he'd carefully selected those he could withstand and those he couldn't. But his already depleted chakra when he resisted, only came to nothing when it ran out. He screamed in agony again as the searing pain exploded on his torso. He gritted his teeth and bit down hard to keep from screaming. When the poker was taken away, izuna breathed heavily, sweat soaked through his hair.

"Want to die yet? "

"Never, you bastard! You don't even deserve to be called a human! Expected of the Mikazuki filth." Izuna spat and the Mikazuki man stuttered in anger. _I must not let him see my suffering._ Uso charged again and beat him in the head. Izuna squirmed and bit his hand. Uso yelped and tugged on his caught hand. Izuna bit down harder and tasted his dirty blood. Uso screamed and punched on the side of his jaw with his other hand. Izuna let go and felt the slimy strands of saliva and blood fall from his mouth. Uso screamed in rage and anger and picked up a katana.

"You'll pay for that!"

"Bring it." Izuna stared at him, his eyes dauntless. Uso snarled and curled up his lip in pure rage. He swung back and let out a ferocious cry. He almost hit him when his eyes widened in horror, a ear-splitting screech erupting from his lips. He stumbled backwards, his eyes filling with fear. He lifted a shaking finger and pointed at the barred window behind Izuna.

"N-no. How did you get here?!" He choked and he stumbled away, running from the window. Izuna looked in confusion at him but suddenly realized what was happening. Madara's red Mangekyou stared at Uso through the bars, his face full of pure hatred.

"I'll kill you."

Izuna shivered at his brother's deathly words. Uso shrieked and ran to get out of the room. A kunai knife whizzed past Izuna's cheeks and hit Uso right at the nape of his neck. With a gargled noise, Uso stiffened and fell limp. Izuna could not turn around, but could feel his brother's dark aura behind him.

"Hello. How glad to hear your death-voice at a time like this, eh, Madara?" he grinned and began coughing up lumps of blood again. He felt his vision blur and he fell away again.

* * *

"Do you think I'm right, or Madara?" Ichiro smiled at her and Hiroki stared at him.

"Of course you. I think you are more reasonable. But, we should wait and see..."

"Hmph. We should just go now. It's better safe than sorry."

"It could be a trap, who knows."

"Then we'll do anything to save him. Madara needs Izuna. I'll die in his stead."

"But he cares for you too."

"Not as much as his love for Izuna. He'll get over such a petty thing like me, but never over Izuna's death." She knew it for a fact.

"That's not true! He'll be deathly over the loss of you. I know it."

"Stop trying to sound like I'm important to him. I'm nothing more than a lover. Something you can always forget. Blood is thicker than water, if you forgot."

"Okay...but I was just trying to make you feel better."

"Thank you. But I don't need it. Just to make it clear...don't make a fool of yourself by trying too hard to be friendly with me. Just act naturally. I promise I won't bite back, don't worry. We still haven't had that spar yet. Maybe after the whole Izuna thing is settled." Hiroki said and smiled softly, in which Ichiro smiled back.

"I'm glad that you told me. I was beginning to think that you hated me or something."

"I don't. You're just a bit annoying. Oh! Sorry...I like to be frank when it comes to telling people these sort of things...it's sort of an Uchiha thing." Hiroki said and remembered that Madara was quite the same. Ichiro laughed and smiled.

"It's fine. I think I needed a good slap in the face to bring me back to my senses. I hope you and Madara work. Maybe even have lots of children."

"Heh?! Don't go too far, idiot! That's not even funny!"

"No, but your reaction is!" Hiroki reached over and smacked him lightly on his head. Ichiro caught her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Huh?!" Hiroki landed against his chest and she blushed, but felt awkward against strange arms.

"I still think you are beautiful. I could be better than him you know..." he smiled sadly and Hiroki grew angry, pushing him away.

"Didn't you just say a moment ago that you wished the best for Madara's and I's relationship? Why are you still trying to get at me?"

"Haha! Ah...your reaction. It's all your face, I swear! I was just testing you...to see if you really loved him...or just hate me!"

"Both now. That's a sick joke, seriously." Hiroki scoffed and sped ahead of him abruptly and left him in her dust.

"Wait! Don't leave me!" Hiroki didn't even bother to look behind her and ran past the villagers, and came to a halt at the door. Ichiro arrived in a huff beside her and she sniffed, turning away from him. The gaurds opened the door and she walked into the house, Ichiro trailing behind like a lost dog. Thunk! Shaaa... Thunk! Shaaa... The familiar sound of the bamboo water lever brought her back to her senses. Daichi rushed out to see if everyone was okay. His eyebrows raised when he only saw the two of them, especially with Hiroki's ticked off expression and Ichiro's puppy dog pout.

"Where's everyone else? Is Izuna safe?!"

"We saw no sign of him. I have a feeling that he's maybe been caught, injured, or dead. But Madara insisted that he's not, and he's on the look out for him now. I'll wait 3 days before I can break all their necks in half." Hiroki growled and walked past both of them, pushing harshly on Ichiro's shoulder. She muttered incoherently to herself and walked to her bedroom, where she fell down in piles of mishap.

"What's with her?" Daichi asked, pointing in the direction of the fuming Hiroki. Ichiro shrugged.

"Probably angry over Madara's decisions."

"Am not! It's because of you and your shenanigans!" Hiroki yelled over her shoulder at the staircase. Ichiro stiffened and Daichi narrowed his eyes.

"What did you do again, son?!"

"It was nothing! I just made a joke and she didn't like it."

"Did you try to..." Ichiro shrugged and Daichi smacked him.

"God dang it! Seriously...don't you know when to stop!" Daichi sighed and stormed away. Ichiro rubbed his sore head and shuffled sadly away on his own. Hiroki sat in bed, waiting with fear for Madara and Izuna to come safely. The hours past, each minute feeling like a dreaded eternity. Finally, she heard the heavy creak of the door and raced down to see Izuna. When she saw the entrance...there was only Kaito and Madara. Hiroki's heart dropped. He's...probably dead... she could see Madara's crestfallen face and walked solemnly by his side.

Madara walked slowly, his mind swirling with the many possibilities what could've happened with Izuna. When he reached his door did he only notice Hiroki standing next to him, a concerned expression on her face. He reached out to caress her cheek.

"We waited for a while. I wanted to just stay there...but Kaito insisted on coming back. He knows the way. I'm not sure why he wasn't there. I know that he's not dead. He's too stubborn too die. We'll wait a few more days, perhaps he'll show up then." She could hear the stress in his voice.

"Don't kill yourself over it. I think we may even depart tomorrow to search for him if we have to. It's bothering me like crazy. But tonight...just let yourself relax. It helps in a difficult situation." Madara gave her a small smile and Hiroki grinned back.

"Then you'll have to help me with that." Madara said and opened the door, pulling her inside. "Ah!" Hiroki let out a cry at she stumbled form being tugged so harshly.

"Help? What am I supposed to do?! Pervert!" He only chuckled and let Hiroki go.

"I'll take a refreshing wash. You can play with yourself for a bit. No worries- I'll have clothing on this time." Hiroki blushed a deep shade of red at the rememberance of the scene. She looked away quickly as Madara smiled and headed to the bathroom. Once she was sure that the shower was running, Hiroki let out a sigh, but her face was still blushing. Hiroki stood up and explored once again, the knick-knacks of his bedroom. He hadn't much, but the small things made her smile. He had the nesting crane on his bed-stand. By the looks of it, it seemed as if he touched it often. Hiroki picked it up and smiled at the elegant bird - her gift. In the past months, Hiroki had drawn Madara several times over, and had given him a picture. It was him, in her favorite place...beneath the falling Sakura... He had tucked it beside his papers on his desk. His ganbai was leaned against the wall with the rest of his swords and his sickle. The sight of them reminded her of the true nature of Madara. She shivered. Hiroki ran her hand through his strewn items; clothing, papers, supplies, bandaging...she ran her hand on the soft covers of the enormous bed. She yawned and plopped down on the fluffy mattress. It was late at night, er...morning, and she felt so weary in the the soft, soft sheets.

Madara walked out to see the half-asleep Hiroki laying contently on his bed, sprawled out like a monkey. He dried his hair with a towel and sat down on the bed.

"So...swleppy..." Hiroki yawned. Madara pushed her to a more neat position and layed down next to her.

"Sleep here with me. I'd feel more comfortable." Madara said softly.

"Umm...sure...You'll be my tweddy bherr." Hiroki rolled and grabbed ahold of Madara, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

"I'd happy oblige...Fufufu..." he kissed her softly, in which Hiroki, still half-asleep, tried to kiss back, but ended up slobbering all over his face.

"Blech!" Madara said and wiped his lips, while pushing away her face.

"Nwho!" And Hiroki tried to pull his face towards hers. He smiled and closed his eyes, falling asleep with Hiroki by his side. Or wrapped around him.

* * *

Madara opened his eyes and tried to stretch, but his arms were entangled with another's. He turned his head to see Hiroki's nestled beside his body. He stared for a moment in bewilderment before it registered.

"Get off." he said and pried himself out of her hold. Hiroki murmured softly and hugged even tighter. Madara dragged himself out of bed, along with Hiroki still attached to him torso.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Madara said and shoved Hiroki off with one last shake. Hiroki fell back sleepily and hit her head on the bed frame. She woke up with a start and rubbed her head in pain.

"Ow..." She looked at the backside of Madara turned his head to glare at her.

"Seriously...you cling onto me like a frickin' koala bear. Had fun sleeping with me last night?" Hiroki looked at him in surprise and tried to recall the previous memories. She was so intoxicated with sleep last night that she could barely remember what had happened. She blushed at his choice of words and stared at him for an answer.

"D-did I do something...with you...without my knowing?" She asked shyly and Madara smirked.

"Did I? Do you not remember? My...indeed it was quite fun in bed last night..." Hiroki blushed and Madara continued to grin. Hiroki's thoughts ran wild as she opened her robe to see if she had any marks to prove it. When she saw none, she thought Madara had done something else...

"You did an awful good job of not leaving any marks..."

"Was I supposed to?"

"I think my brother told me once that men do that...mark a woman's body as theirs once they make love or something..."

Madara suppressed his laughter.

"I don't need to do that on the outside..."

Hiroki gasped in horror at what his words meant.

"You mean you..." She blushed. Madara couldn't hold his chuckles any longer and they burst out his mouth.

"Oh, how I love teasing you...I'm kidding. I didn't do anything to you, I promise. You were just too tired to return to your room and ended up snuggling me. God, it was a nightmare. You were half asleep and didn't know whether you were in your bed or not." Hiroki clutched her head in her own stupidity and turned red in embarrassment.

"I can't believe I actually thought..."

"No... You had reason to... Just, I made it seem as if I actually did. It seems you want it that badly, huh?"

"I-I-I just, uh, I...you're such a meanie!" Hiroki stood up and rubbed her sore spot again, glaring at him. He smiled gently and hugged her from behind. Hiroki stiffened at his touch, but then relaxed, softening.

"I've got into this bad habit of teasing you. I promise I'm not trying to be mean...it's just my cruel sense of humor." He said quietly in her ear and she turned her head to see Madara's soft eyes. He cupped her chin and raised her head to his. It was a soft and gentle kiss, but quickly turned intense. His lips mover expertly with hers, and soon, Hiroki felt his tongue slide her lips apart, touching hers. She gasped in surprise and nearly pulled away, but Madara held onto her face. Hiroki had no choice but to open her mouth to his. Madara swirled his tongue with hers, a raging war in the mouth. After a few intense minutes, Madara released her to let her breathe. Hiroki gasped for air, her cheeks burning red. She turned to face Madara, who had an amused smirk on his face.

"So cute." Madara mused and smiled at Hiroki's dazed exxpression.

"Be quiet." she said softly and looked down.

"You're always turning red whenever I do this."

"W-What do you expect me to do?"

"Enjoy it. Kiss me back."

"I-Idiot. I don't know how..."

"Want me to teach you? Fufufu..."

"Ah! No thanks..." Hiroki blushed. Madara smirked.

"M-Maybe later."

He smiled and ruffled her hair. Hiroki reached up her hands to get his off of her head.

"We have other things to worry about...so I'll be going." Hiroki said and he nodded, his eyes growing grim at the remembrance of his's brother's strange disappearance. Hiroki smiled weakly and headed out the door.

* * *

The morning's days past by with dread and fear. Hiroki's image of the five days were truly interesting...with the inclusion of Izuna's absence and the worry of his whereabouts. The nights were spent watching in the clearing- hoping he'd come to them any moment. The second day of waiting was dreadfully worrisome- with Hiroki nearly blowing her brains out with fear, and Madara trying to keep himself stable. The third day was the worst. Everyone was practically eager to go and search, waiting by the hours just to see if he'd come or not. With the day's end coming, Hiroki knew she had been right all along. Madara swallowed and readied himself to find his brother dead. Hiroki began to grab her supplies, weapons of all sorts and the medical kit.

With the last minutes of the fading twilight, Hiroki voiced her plan.

"There is no more waiting. I'm sure that he most likely got captured along the way. I believe it would be someone who has a grudge against him or the Uchiha in general. We can split into two groups- one who will backtrack his path to see if he got sick, hurt or injured along the way. The other will go to the enemy territory and perhaps rescue him? We just have to figure out who."

"How do you know if he's been captured?" Madara asked, his voice showing stress.

"I don't. That's why I suggested we split into two groups. I'll go with the backtrack group. You go with the rescue group. Now...any ideas who it might be?"

"Did the Uchiha threaten anybody recently? Besides the Senju, of course...but they wouldn't be as rash as that."

It suddenly clicked in her head. It was obvious.

"The Mikazuki. Izuna had no idea about the previous encounter...and was probably caught unaware! He could've been drugged or something, then dragged away to their territory...or somewhere worse." Hiroki was sure of it.

"What happened?" Daichi asked.

"We got into a little scuffle on our way here. When they spotted Izuna...they must've ganged up on him...drugged him...or...or..." Hiroki's mind whirled with the possibilities, reeling with fear.

"We know where they reside...We'll split into two groups as planned. Toshiro and Masahiro will go with Hiroki. Ichiro and Daichi will go with me. Me and Hiroki will be the medium, I'll put a communicating and Tracking device on her. It's a shame I forgot to put one on Izuna..." Madara said and they all nodded.

"Then we'll head out now. The cover of darkness will be our weapon." Madara's eyes lit up with fury, his hatred burning deeper for the Mikazuki._ Izuna...your brother will be there for you..._

Hiroki's eyes blazed with the same passion. She summoned her courage and stepped out into the wilderness.

* * *

**Chapter 9 END**

_**Author's Note:**_** Hello! **_This may be some bad news. But it is my wish. I will probably end this story and delete it. It's because I have a pitiful amount of support...yes. Since Nobody reads it and nobody likes it...I might just end it once for all. I'll end it and maybe rewrite it later. Thank you for all the support...the pitiful amount, yes. Thanks to : **xGuiltyXGigglesx03**, **LivingAnEverlastingDream,** and **Animelady 22** for all the continuous support! I really thank you. Also to: **Elena90** for following me recently. I stopped getting support...and it felt really sad._

_SERIOUSLY. IF YOU LIKE A STORY, PLEASE SUPPORT IT! OTHERWISE...THE AUTHOR WILL FEEL VERY SAD. So, please support me! Just a click of a button! Seriously, are you guys that lazy? If you hate it, or dislike it, then say so in the reviews! If yo love it, say so! _

_But: For those that continued to support me nevertheless: I love you. You have brought me joy for all the times when I needed it. The relationship is moving even more closely, and I would like to add some humor, romance, tragedy, hurt/comfort, and adventure in there as well. Love, Rima-chan...the sad writer. :'(_


	10. Chapter 10: Falling Stars

_Hey there. I'm getting over the depressed mode. Ha. Yeah. I feel kind of blech, though. Thank you so much to my supporters...and for those who said i should continue. Well, let's see...if I get some more, i'll definitely continue, if I don't i'll just keep on writing - but just to make those few people happy! I'm into Final Fantasy VII Music currently! I especially love Tifa's Theme, and can play Aeris's Theme on piano. I'm trying to practice Tifa's Theme, but I have other lessons to do... :D I'm really trying to make this story better, and dang! I've improved in just a month! Can you believe that?! Heehee, I've got summer reading to do, so I might be a bit later than usual for the next two weeks. (I'm a Procrastinator... ^^") So, here you go!_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Falling Stars**

Her stomach boiled with the fear that raised. She could feel the heartbeats thump, each one making her anxiety more prominent. Hiroki moved swiftly, feeling the pulsations and Madara's presence at the nape of her neck. She remembered clearly with a chuckle how the others reacted...

* * *

_"Madara. You still have to put the device on me."_

_"It's more of a bind on your chakra...so I can sense it more easily. The more near a chakra point, the better." Hiroki recalled in medical class that the most exposed area was at the bottom at the nape of your neck._

_"Ah, then you should put it right...here." Hiroki reached with her right hand behind her back to touch the spot. Madara nodded. _

_"Then..." Hiroki began untying her robe. The others looked at her in surprise. Ichiro especially blushed. Hiroki chuckled deviously and turned to face the wall. She loosened the tie and slipped the robe off her shoulders. With one hand, she held up her hair so it wouldn't get in the way, and the other holding her robe, so it wouldn't fall off._

_"Well come on! We don't have all night!" she said impatiently and Madara nodded. With a few quick hand-seals and a bite of his thumb to write a couple characters on her neck, He placed his hand on it and a spiral of the seal came onto the spot._

_"Done." Hiroki nodded, feeling the strange sensation coming from it. She pulled her robe over her exposed back and tied it back tightly again._

_"Well, let's move."_

_"Wait." Madara said._

_"What?" Hiroki turned to face him, antsy for the investigation._

_"How will I contact you?" he asked, the rhetorical question in his mind._

_"Don't you know?" Hiroki asked, feeling even more impatient than Madara himself._

_"With this device, you can contact me with your thoughts. And when you feel this, it means come quickly to my location."_

_"What - " Hiroki felt a sudden sharp pain emanate from the device. She arched her back and scrabbled her fingers against the bind._

_"Agh!" She coudl strangle out of her mouth, while Madara's face was as stoic as ever. Hiroki turned angrily to face him._

_"It's simply a distress call." He smiled faintly, mockingly, and headed out. Hiroki shuddered, the pain now fading, and moved out as well._

_She could feel Madara growing colder...he felt far off, in the distant land of his worries._

* * *

She could feel that they were moving ever farther away from each other until it was simply a small tingle at the back of her neck, a muddled feeling in the back of her mind. She looked beside her to see the two brothers by her flanks.

"Keep a sharp eye out for any sign of a fight." the two nodded and began scanning furiously around them. Hiroki whizzed past the trees, eventually reaching the clearing in which they were supposed to see Izuna. They stopped there.

"It looks like he didn't even get this far." Masahiro noted. Hiroki nodded.

"Yes...it seems they were expecting him early along the trail..." Hiroki said and began at full speed again. They spread out, around 5 meters between and went past more of the wood. There was no disturbance of vegetation, broken trees, a sign of struggle, or any blood at all. Once they saw the dim lights of the town in the distance, Hiroki figured that's where they were expecting him.

"In the town's tavern...that's where we got into a fight. They most likely wouldn't fight him there again. Probably on the far edge or on this near edge did they ambush him." They nodded and Hiroki motioned for them to move even faster. They reached far past the trees, until they got to the edge of town, the night time glow of the town dotted with brilliant lanterns, glowing softly in the moonshine.

"Hiroki!"

She whipped around to see Toshiro stopped at a spot. She rushed back to see his grim face. Snagged on a branch of a tree, was a small scrap of fabric, she could see the edge of the Uchiha insignia sewn on it. She picked it up and realized it must have been Izuna's. She just noticed the disturbance around them. Small twigs snapped beneath the feet, vegetation trampled, small indentations of footprints, and last...small droplets of blood on the leaves beneath their feet. She bent down and examined the evidence.

"It looks like not much of a struggle. It seems they sneaked up behind them...but Izuna would've noticed. Perhaps they used some unorthodox method, who knows. He was dragged...knocked out." She turned to Toshiro.

"You have sharp eyes...good job."

Toshiro's eyes brightened with praise and bowed slightly. Masahiro looked slightly annoyed. Hiroki smiled.

"Thank you for your observations earlier as well." Hiroki said to him and he harumphed to one side, but she could see the glint to pride in his eyes.

She felt utterly stupid for not noticing this scene. It seemed as if her skills had degraded since coming to the past. She did do nothing but sit around all day, praised and pampered like a princess. Hiroki felt shamed, nearly. She delved deep into her connection with Madara to contact him.

_"We found evidence of him being ambushed outside the town we passed through on our way here. There's no sign it's the Mikazuki, but it's a high and probable chance."_ She said with force, directing it at his presence. She felt him stir, then a thought came rumbling into her mind, a sharp knife cutting through her.

_"We're trying o find Izuna right now. Try to follow a trail. Tell of the location once you arrive."_ His presence was unfamiliar, serious. She felt the hardness in his voice, even if it was only a thought. Hiroki nodded to herself and turned to her companions.

"I have contacted him about our current finds. Madara has said to follow the evidence. Or try to." She smiled weakly and they nodded, immediately, tracing the broken stems and leaves.

"It seems you are skilled in tracking." she noted.

"Yes...Masahiro and I were often sent to to such things with the neighboring clans and our enemies. Ichiro is one who laid back and was taught to be the successor, he did the top job, we did the dirty work...as I put it." Toshiro said with a hint of bitterness. Masahiro nodded and continued to follow towards the trail.

Hiroki almost pitied the two for being the younger of the pack. But she quickly retreated her thoughts, knowing that they would most not like to hear pity from her. Pity would not improve their situation, just make it more clear to them what their hardship was. Hiroki had felt for herself the envy of being the younger one. They always expected you to surpass the elder...and she never could. She was the disappointment. But her brother said otherwise, so she didn't have to worry.

* * *

Madara jumped from one branch to another, his feet making no noise, simply gliding through without a sound. Not even the whistle of the wind sliding past his body. He could hear the small thump every time Ichiro landed on another branch. He felt the vibrations of the tree when Daichi placed his foot on it. He looked at both of them once, and strode out to the front. He felt the small piece of dread in the back of his mind...reminding him of his brother's danger. He could see Hiroki's face, filled with fear. He crushed the image in his head with a small push away. The worries of her were not needed now. The only thing on his mind was saving Izuna - even if it meant pushing Hiroki farther away. For all he knew, Izuna was there first, the only one that gave him true joy.

Hiroki was someone he had only grown to behave better around. She was only a woman his man's heart had grown to desire. But even the blackness of it had made her face disappear like a mirage. He knew he could kill her in a second. His brother, he would not hesitate to take his own life for his. Hiroki's image returned to his mind with a pang of guilt and pity. He knew he cared for her, he had a certain part of his mind that said..._"I must protect this woman. She is someone special to me."_

But even then... he could feel himself grow to push her out of the way. Especially when his brother was calling for him. His eyes grew hard and cold, his mind turning black with rage, his fists curling up in hatred, ready to smash their skulls. The face of Hiroki shattered, the remains turning to a pure, icy evil that wished to burn and destroy everything in it's way, for the one person on his mind. Izuna.

Within matter of minutes of full-speed chase, Madara could feel the life presence of his brother again. With a small hope, Madara increased his speed, Daichi and Ichiro wordlessly trying to catch up. After the next minutes passed, small signs of life came to view. He felt his brother very close. A large, brick building came to view, it was off to the side, unnoticeable, something one would pass by without thinking twice. The small hope of his brother grew suddenly smaller, fading. With a note, Madara stopped and turned around again, Daichi and Ichiro startled.

"He's in that building. I feel his presence there."

"Nonsense. It's been abandoned for years now." Ichiro scoffed. Daichi glanced at him in an irritable fashion. Madara's eyes flared in annoyance.

"You dare question my senses? I believe that would be an act of ignorance...so I won't kill you now." He said quietly with gritted teeth, his obvious dissatifaction dark and cold in his tone. Ichiro felt his confidence drop.

"It would be the probable place for them to confine him in. We're almost in Mikazuki territory, so it wouldn't be far off." Daichi said quickly and Madara narrowed his eyes, but let his anger fade.

A small, creeping tendril of thought entered his mind. He recognized it as Hiroki.

_"We found evidence of him being ambushed outside the town we passed through on our way here. There's no sign it's the Mikazuki, but it's a high and probable chance."_ Madara heard her say and responded.

_"We're trying to find Izuna right now. Try to follow a trail. Tell of the location once you arrive."_ he said and hoped that it would lead to the same spot. Madara was using the other team as lab rats. He knew for sure that Izuna was inside the building before them.

"Be as quiet as possible. Make no sound. Only mouth the words. Circle around the building and check for any entrances. If there are guards, kill them without a noise." Madara mouthed and the both nodded, but he could see that Ichiro could not understand. He quietly sighed in annoyance. Daichi felt embarrassed for not teaching his son how to mouth read and whispered as quietly in his ear as possible the message. He then nodded but looked down in shame.

Madara nodded, and jumped swiftly to the edge of the building, using chakra to walk up the wall, an d then proceed to walk around the perimeter of the building. Daichi jumped up to a nearby tree and surveyed the building from a higher ground. Ichiro walked silently along the ground, searching for broken windows.

A sound startled the three of them. Madara tensed and drew his weapons. Ichiro widened his eyes and jumped to a safe shadow. Daichi narrowed his eyes and drew a kunai knife. A man walked out of the building and lazily whistled, turning to a nearby tree to relieve himself. Daichi crept along the shadows silently to where Madara was and mouthed whether they should kill him or not.

Madara didn't even think twice.

He jumped and landed on the tree where the man was urinating. He looked up, startled and saw Madara's menacing sharingan. He didn't even have tine to scream as Madara alighted on the man's shoulder and beheaded him cleanly with his sickle. The headless body fell to one side and the head rolled around in the dust, the expression of horror still on his face. A spray of blood smacked Madara, a line of blood on his face. His expression was as still as ever as he walked back to the two.

_I'll kill them all._

"Continue." He mouthed and they stared at him. Daichi with one of a cold curiousity, while Ichiro's was one of horror and disgust. A sharp scream split the air. Madara's eyes widened in horror as he realized it was Izuna's he heard voices, and quickly raced over to the building.

"There's a small light over here!" Daichi called and Madara bent down to see a small, barred window. He kept his eyes to the side and peeked in.

His blood ran cold.

The Mikazuki he had fought with earlier was holding a red-tipped iron rod, and with it, he was torturing Izuna by pressing the flaming metal against his bare skin. THe screams continued, ragged and hoarse. He couldn't see Izuna's face, but the top of his head, and part of his legs and feet. He could see the man clearly, and several weapons about. The worst part was the blood spilled around Izuna. Arcs and splatters of crimson, Izuna's blood.

Madara tightened his fist until he felt his fingernails cut through the fabric of his gloves. His eyes swirled menacingly into Mangekyou as he looked straight into the eyes of the Mikazuki man below. He saw him turn pale at his cold, hard expression. He thought he heard a few mumbles from him. He narrowed his blood-red eyes.

"I'll kill you."

The man stumbled backwards and took one last horrified glance at him before turning to run. He barely got past an inch before Madara slipped a kunai into the back of his neck. He stffened and fell down. He heard Izuna say something. It sounded like a half-dead croak.

"Hello. How glad to hear your death-voice at a time like this, eh, Madara?" Madara smirked in relief and relaxed himself, but tensed up agian when he heard Izuna coughing harshly. He saw blood and spittle fly from his head onto the ground in front of him. Izuna's head bobbed a few times before falling limp. Madara's breath caught in his throat as his blood began to boil again. He turned to face the two.

"Thank you for your help. This is my own pleasure. I'll be back shortly." The two both saw his hatred in those eyes of his and Daichi nodded. He felt shivers run down his back at the menacing stare of Uchiha Madara.

Madara walked to the front and kicked open the door. There were Mikazuki stationed at the front of the building, and they looked up in alarm at the intruder.

"Ready for the fun, my men?" Madara smiled a cruel grin and stood there, cocking his head to one side, a hand on his hip, mocking them.

"It's Uchiha Madara! Kill him!" They said after a dumbfounded moment and charged at him, the five men. Madara laughed sadistically and swung his fan, in a flash, two men were knocked back, with the sickle, Madara stuck it in one man's eyes and twisted the weapon. He screamed and scrabbled at his face. With his remaining eye, he stared at Madara in cold hatred. Madara simply smiled in fake sympathy and ripped out his eye, then beheading him a one slash. The knocked men got up and formed a few hand signs, a rush of cold icy, wind sliced at Madara, which was countered with a simple flick of his wrist. The fan blew the wind at them, and their measly attack sliced their robes.

Madara belted his sickle and got out a katana, which he pierced two men in the stomachs like olives on a toothpick, With a twist of his hand, the blade twisted in their guts, and they gasped in pain, blood spraying from their mouths. One motion and the katana sliced the men upwards, cutting flesh and bone all in half. The mutilated bodies fell in a bloody heap. Madara's cold eyes bore into the remaining two men, weapons dripping with blood. They stared in horror before turning to flee, but Madara was too quick. He put the fan on his back and got out another katana, double wielding. He ran up to the two of them and with one spontaneous motions on each of his hands, one's leg's were gone and the other's left arm was off.

They screamed in agony as Madara stabbed them in several painful spots, careful not to hit the vital points and as he maimed them slowly. With a few quick slashes their heads were gone.

Madara walked through the halls, katanas swinging heads off and sickle ripping arms and legs into pieces. Three more men fell. As he alighted down the steps, two more men charged at him, more skillful. They attacked swiftly, but Madara parried each blow twice as fast. Madara sidestepped and once again toothpick-ed the two against a wall, with his sickle in the other hand beheading both of them in one swing. This was right outside Izuna's cell. He saw that Izuna's clothes were in tatters, his body bruised and bleeding. He was just unconscious. Madara's eyes faded back to black orbs and he jumped over the growing red puddles of blood.

With a blow from his powerful fan, the door busted in, metal bars bending at the force. Another swing and the door clanged loudly against the floor. Madara kicked it aside and went over to his brother. He sheathed his weapons and nudged him gently on the cheek. When he was not awaking, Madara sighed and walked behind the metal pole. He got out his sickle and nearly cut it when a jingle behind him sounded. He turned his head in surprise to the sound and saw Uso holding a key, holding the back of his neck, smiling evilly, then he turned to run.

"You never learn do you?"

With one leap. Uso's head came flying off. His body crumpled, the key falling from his limp fingers. Madara caught it and turned back to his brother. He unlocked the thick manacles and saw with a pang of anger the raw, bloodied, flesh of his wrists. The skin did not resemble skin...nor the name flesh. It looked like a hunk of red, bruised, raw, and bloodied meat on some bones. Madara took off tore off the sleeve of his shirt and tore it into strips. When it was not enough to cover the countless injuries, he tore off his other sleeve to make more bandages. He concentrated mostly around the burns and this bloodied pulp of his wrists. Madara slung Izuna over his shoulder and walked back up the stairs and out the door, careful not to step in the blood. He did kick head, which went bouncing off a wall. He smiled a satisfied smirk as he saw blood drip out of it and fall, bruised and bloody.

"Unsightly scum."

A sharp thought entered his mind and he heard Hiroki's voice.

_"We're being surrounded by Mikazuki. Looks like a good 20 men. Have you found Izuna yet? I believe they set a false trail. It's a good thing we've got them occupied, so they have no idea you're on their actual path."_ Madara smirked in accomplishment. He knew it was a trap from the moment he heard that there was evidence. The Mikazuki may have been bastards, but they were smart and careful bastards. But Hiroki was smarter. And Madara was smarter yet to spring the trap for them...and a hidden trap set by them beneath that.

_"I've got Izuna. No worries, our situation here is complete. I'll be heading to your location. Keep our thought connection in touch, so I can sense you better."_ Madara said and walked towards the two. Daichi saw the bandaged Izuna and the sleeveless Madara. He quickly unburdened him by carrying Izuna instead. Ichiro noted with slight dissatisfaction that Madara had no scratches whatsoever. The only thing that showed he was in a fight was the fact that he was covered in blood smears and splatters. Madara took one look at his soiled gloves and with a disgusted look, stripped them and threw them away. He reached into this pouch and put on another pair of clean ones. He wiped his face of the scarlet drops and straightened out the wrinkles in his clothes.

"We're heading to Hiroki now. It seems my plan worked. Hiroki had caught a false trail to Izuna, in which the Mikazuki believed that they were there to take back Izuna. But, we were heading on the right trail, and instead they sprung the trap for us. That way, the Mikazuki believed we were nowhere close to him and instead centered around Hiroki and your two younger sons. They're currently fighting them." Madara said in one breath and began tracing Hiroki's location.

"Wait. You didn't tell them of the trap?" Ichiro said in a cold tone.

"No. Otherwise, they wouldn't have followed it." Madara replied nonchalantly.

"They would've if you told them your intentions in the first place."

"But they could have given our location away. Even if they said they weren't going to, there's still a chance?"

"You bastard! How could you use them like that?! It's my own younger brothers! We entrusted them to the Uchiha care! What about Hiroki?! Don't you trust her enough, don't you care enough? Or are you simply using her for your own deeds, and faking it all to her. You're worst than trash if that's the case."

Madara paused, turning with his sharingan glowing threateningly. Ichiro did not back down.

"What have you to concern yourself in other's affairs?" Madara scoffed, "Your brothers are in good hands of Hiroki. She won't die that easily, though more easily than me, but...Hiroki...I certainly did not fake my feelings just to use her..." he said, his tone turning softer at the topic, "However, in times when my brother was in peril and when he is in possible danger. I won't hesitate to sacrifice her for him. She is replaceable. He is not."

Ichiro bristled. Even Daichi was surprised at Madara's unusual coldness.

"How could you?! She is replaceable?! The one you love? How could you?! It sounds to me like Hiroki is just some fling you can play with for a while before growing bored and tossing her out. You son of a bitch, if that's how your true feelings are, then why not give her to me, who will never, _never,_ give up her life just because my brother is more important than her." Ichiro said, his voice burning with his true feelings. Daichi's eyes grew in the same way as Ichiro's did as well.

"I see this incident has shown your true colors, Madara. I thought you truly loved her, if that were the case, you would have never just simply said she was the sacrifice for Izuna. Do you know what your words mean? It means you don't care for her in true heart." Daichi said and Ichiro looked at his father in astonishment.

"F-Father..." he said softly. Madara's eyes bore into both of them. The image of Hiroki appeared in his mind again. He looked down, wondering what his true feelings were for her. Before...he could see that he was attached to her, willing to go to any heights for her...but never for his life or his brother's

"I do. I care for her. And I am still growing to." He said softly, his eyes softer,"But. I can't go to the point of life or death for her yet. To use her as my pawn is simply a convenience for me. Who knows...maybe this cold heart of mine will never be able to love another." He said and turned once again. Daichi and Ichiro did not say anything anymore, but Ichrio could feel his rage boil inside of him.

"By the way Ichiro, Hiroki does not return those feelings of yours. She has the same feelings for her as to me instead. I try my best to return those feelings to her. But, I have yet to know whether it is a true love or not." Madara said and Ichiro let out a mutter.

"But I would give her more than you could ever could."

"That maybe true, but will she be as happy with you as she is with me?"

Madara felt his connection with her waver for a second, then become stronger, almost frantic. He felt a pang of...fear? Was it fear that he felt for her? Worry? Madara nearly lept in relief. He smiled to himself. He had almost felt pity for himself and her because he was afraid his own heart could care for one that much...Izuna did not count in the category.

"I do care for her...it's just...I'm just learning how to right now." He said softly to himself, trying to convince that he eh wasn't just some cold-hearted bastard that didn't care for anyone outside of his own brother.

* * *

The moment they saw the building, they knew it was a trap. Hiroki had her suspicions that they had such an obvious trail. She just believed the Mikazuki were too stupid. They now surrounded the three of them with 20 men, all smiling devilishly. A man up front walked up to speak. Hiroki, Toshiro, and Masahiro were in a tight triangle, back to back, weapons drawn, ready to right. When the man stepped up, Hiroki recognized him from the tavern as the man who attacked her.

"My, it looks like you're all ready to hurt us. My pleasure to hurt you then. Do you remember me? I'm Taki, from the tavern, hmm, Uchiha Hiroki." Hiroki's eyes swirled into the sharingan, threatening them. Taki smiled.

"Of course I remember. Who wouldn't forget such an ugly face as that?" Hiroki said and heard the two brothers snicker beside her. The man's face grew displeasured.

"It's a shame I can't kill you. But you'll be of use to me and the men later. I can see that your body is priceless. The better to mock that Uchiha bastard with! I can't wait to see his face when he finds out the Mikazuki have taken his woman's innocence before him! Men. Kill the two Sarutobi kids. Capture the Uchiha woman, alive." The men rushed onto them and Taki stood, watching with a smug face. Hiroki couldn't stand his expression and charged at him, He swung a katana, parrying her blow.

"I'm one of the best." He crowed. Hiroki smirked.

"The more fun."

Hiroki launched a series of powerful strikes using her wind-chakra whipped blade, if the blade did not cut him, the wind did. With annoyance, Taki realized that she positioned her attacks at spots that wouldn't kill him, but disable him, or cause him slower movements and much irritation in his attacks. She first hit above the eyes, where it sliced his brow. Then she hit his wrist and knees, where the movement there would be painful for him to make a move.

Every once in a while, Taki could not see, for the blood dripping into his eye from the cut on his eyebrows had blinded him. In those moments, Hiroki took the advantage and slashed at yet another irritable spot. Once his speed, agility, and accuracy had decreased significantly, Hiroki once again parried his weak blows and stabbed him in the gut. She smiled and twisted the blade, increasing her chakra. The man yowled in pain and gargled blood out of his mouth. Hiroki ground in deeper, feeling the pleasure in hurting him and flicked the blade up, cutting his sternum in half. Taki gasped and lurched forward, blood exploding from his mouth. He collapsed, and Hiroki withdrew the bloodied blade.

Masahiro and Toshiro had been covering her back during her battle and now she rushed to defend them. She noticed they had cuts and bruised plenty, though had downed several men. Hiroki saw the men still move forward, outnumbering them by at least a dozen. She felt her confidence waver, and with it, the connection of Madara's reassuring presence. But it quickly returned after her hard-willed determination, growing stronger with the knowing that he would be here soon.

"Masahiro, Toshiro, retreat back, rest. Masahiro, protect your brother, he looks more tired than you. I'll take them on." She said and the two looked at her in shock, slicing at another man together. She looked at them in coldness.

"We wouldn't want to-"

"GO!" she yelled and they hurriedly fell back behind her. She swirled into her Mangekyou and felt the information pour into her again, everything a slow blur. The familiar headache came with it, along with the painful presence of Hikaru. Hiroki gritted her teeth and pushed back the growing nausea, concentrating on striking down every man. They charged at her, and she crouched low, ready to spring on the balls of her feet, and a memory came to her, out of all times.

* * *

_Hiroki gritted her teeth and charged headfirst at Hikaru again. Her Susano wavered a bright orange Titan, towering in full armor and full gear, Hiroki then felt the crashing headache and plunged into darkness for a moment. When she opened her eyes, she saw Hikaru stand above her, his face annoyed. She gripped her head and yowled in protest._

_"Hikaru, I can't do this! The Mangekyou is too powerful for me. I'm not stable enough to handle it."_

_"You've got that right. The headache...you're eyes are straining too much to use it. You'll go blind soon." Hikaru sighed and picked up his katana, the ribcage of his green Susano still around him._

_"Hmph. Well, you've gotten from a meager Ameratsu to being able to hold the full Susano form for 2.345 seconds. Your Genjustsu is good. You're able to withstand the Tsukiyomi's spells, but much improvement needs to be done. Keep on practicing. This session is over. My, you're taking an awful slow time." Hikaru growled and twirled the katana. Hiroki sighed and laid back against the tree._

_"Hikaru. I'm just useless, right?" her brother turned to face her. His eyes turned soft, he walked over and placed a warm hand onto hers._

_"Of course not! I'm sure with much practice, you'll definitely get it right. You'll become strong." Hikaru said and Hiroki smiled, getting up, feeling the pulsating sensation in her head again._

_"Ah! It's just too much! It hurts! This whole thing is just too big for me to take it!" Hiroki yelled and stretched. Hikaru smirked and resisted the urge to say 'that's what she said' and chuckled to himself._

_"Well...then there's no helping it. You just have to grit your teeth and feel the pain for awhile. You'll definitely get it, I promise." he said and Hiroki grinned._

* * *

Their weapons came slowly at her, like they were stuck in a thick jello. With a flash, she parried the blows and tried to aim for the vital spots, trying to kill them as quickly as possible. She killed a few of them before her vision blurred and the headache filled her head. It was worse, because she had not practiced with it in a while. She clutched her head and felt the ache grow worse. Black spots began appearing at the corners. She grit her teeth even tighter, wrapping the hilt of the katana even tighter, and roared, her eyes flaming.

She followed their movements, and fended them off, leaping aside to avoid the occasional unexpected blow. After she downed five, her movements became more sluggish. She felt her chakra ebb from sustaining the wind on her blade for awhile. She disconnected the flow and eased her eyes to the original sharingan. The headache faded, and she turned to face the remaining 8. With a loud battle cry, she struck one in the gut, then slashed antoher across the chest. Several tried to get her with jutsus, and it cut her. She winced from the sting and tried to behead one, but it was countered. The six now charged at her, and with a pain, she felt herself fall, the stinging arc of blood released from her right shoulder to her left hip. She hit the ground with a dull thud, the only thing on her mind was the incredible pain, the burn, the pain from the wound. She felt a man gruffly pick her up and knock her out. Hiroki fell limp, the katana falling from her hand.

Masahiro and Toshiro stared in horror at the fallen comrade. With a war cry, they attacked the remaining, only to be slashed at and they yelped, retreating. Just when all hope was lost, Ichiro cut down one, Daichi kunai-ed another, and Madara crushed one more with his fan. He saw the remaining one gape in horror, and he screamed before his head lolled off.

Madara chased after the one carrying Hiroki, quickly catching up to the man. The man smiled and turned to face him.

"It's an honor to fight the almighty Uchiha Madara." he smiled and put down Hiroki, drawing a long dagger and a short katana, both rimmed with a serrated edge, gleaming with a faint purple hue to the blade. Madara narrowed his eyes as he recognized the gleam. They were poisoned edged blades. Even one scratch could be lethal. The man smiled and disappeared, but Madara could easily track his movement, he drew his fan and his sickle, quickly locating the man's position and striking even quicker. The man sidestepped and reached in to do a quick stab. Madara flicked his wrist and the fan dodged the dangerous blade. Madara advanced, and in one movement, he leaped, snuck behind the man, and took one slash. His eyes widened and he looked down to see a growing stain of red across his chest. Still, he tried to slash at Madara. He widened his eyes even further when Madara's eyes changed to pure pain. He screamed and fell down, shivering until he had no more blood left.

Madara walked over to Hiroki to examine her health. He drew a sharp breath when he saw the slash across her torso.

He knew that if she did not get medical help soon, Hiroki would die within minutes.

He picked her up carefully and reached Daichi and his sons, along with the still unconscious Izuna. Ichiro's eyes widened to moons when he saw the blood falling of of Madara's hands in streams. Madara quickly tore off the bottom of his robe and pressed tightly again the wound, when the bleeding had reduced, he bound it tightly.

"She needs medical help immediately. Izuna can wait, though his condition is still worrisome." Madara said, his voice emotionless, however. Daichi looked at him in relief, and Ichiro nodded, but still pissed off. Madara carried Hiroki in his arms, while Izuna was still slung onto Daichi's back. Toshiro and Masahiro looked at Hiroki and confessed to their father.

"I'm sorry! Hiroki told us to fall back, not wanting us to get killed...and she got injured in our stead...they would've taken her and...and...done...bad...bad...things to her...things that are unspeakable. THey would've killed us right on spot. Hiroki sacrificed herself for us." Masahiro said and Madara bristled. Ichiro's fists tightened as well.

"What do you mean by bad things?" Ichiro said quietly, not even caring about his brother's previous words.

Masahiro turned away, hiding his red face,

"Hiroki killed him...but the man said he would use her as...a...toy, for pleasuring them..." He said softly and Ichiro's eyes were wide, speechless. Madara was silent, but gripped her even tighter, his eyes flashing before turning to the dark, cold, onyx orbs again.

"Did she do a good job of killing him?" Madara asked. Masahiro looked up in surprise. He tried to recall what Hiroki did.

"He's dead if you want to check." Masahiro said and looked at Hiroki. She stirred...

Hiroki felt lost in a void. Something was pouring out of her, with every drop, she was losing her life. Deep in blackness, she felt warmth...something close to her. Her hand reached out to grab something...it felt so warm and comforting in the darkness, the cold darkness she was falling deeper in...

She tried to grip it tighter...but a sensation flew across her mind in a flash of fire. Something burned...something...

Hiroki opened her eyes wide and choked on the blood in her throat. She winced as a burning pain erupted across her wound. Coughing, she tried to clear her windpipe, but with every movement, it felt on fire.

"Gyah!" she gasped and gripped the object tighter, fighting the pain. She looked up to see Madara's face. She realized he was holding her in his arms. She looked at her hand to see she was grasping his bare arm. She noticed he was sleeveless, and a portion of his robe was also ripped off. Hiroki looked down to see the black cloth around her torso, already soaked in blood. She looked around wildly and spotted Masahiro and Toshiro safe, with Daichi holding an unconscious Izuna.

"Is he alright? Izuna?" she asked weakly to Madara. He looked down. His face was an emotionless palette.

"No. He's got severe burns, his wrists are cut up to pulp, and he's bruised all over." Hiroki stared at the unmoving lump on Daichi's shoulder and noticed his bad condition. She grew panicked.

"Then let me down! I must heal him immediately, his wounds could have festered already!" she said in worry and Madara shook his head.

"No. You're in worse condition."

"That doesn't matter. Izuna is more important to you than me, so it's fine if I die anyways." Hiroki said hurriedly and struggled to get out of his bond, which only made her hiss in pain and felt the blood ooze out even more. Madara gripped her tight to keep her from moving. Ichiro narrowed his eyes at her words.

"If you die, then Izuna would be angry at me. I would be angry at myself. You're losing much more blood than him. Keep quiet, you're wasting you're life. We're almost there." He said softly and Hiroki relaxed...but felt somewhat pleased in her heart.

_He cares for me that much._

She felt the pain continue, the blood still oozing out, she felt so lightheaded, so dreamy...falling into...a...better...place...

* * *

_"Hurry! She's lost too much blood!"_

_"It's no use! She's going to die!"_

Hiroki could hear muffled words...

_"Her pulse is going down!"_

_"No!"_

_"That's it."_

_"She's in a place of no return..."_

Hiroki thought her life was fading.

_"There's no more pul..."_

A dark empty pit of nothingness.

She didn't hear anymore words.

_Huh? A light? What for?_

_Hikaru? What are you doing here?_

The person looked so much like her brother...but it was too bright to see his face clearly...

All she could see was a bright smile...

_Doki...Doki...Doki..._

* * *

Madara sat patiently, wating. Daichi and Ichiro were by his side. They were in the Sarutobi Medical House.

Just moments ago, Izuna and Hiroki were transported to their care. Hiroki was rushed quickly to the Emergency Room...they were screaming something frantic.

They had been in there for 20 minutes now. Muffled talking and loud, frantic cries were heard in that room.

Madara could feel her life-force die out. His blood ran cold. He shook his head, unable to believe it.

Eerily, it was suddenly quiet. A person walked out.

He looked sickly pale. Covered in her blood. His hands shook when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Uchiha Madara, was it? I'm sorry to inform you, but Uchiha Hiroki has pass-"

A cry sounded from the room. Madara felt a strange presence...strangely familiar chakra...but not Hiroki's. It was a mere second, then vanished. He stood up with a start. He could feel it again.

A person ran out of the room, a look of pure wonder and shock on his face.

"She's alive! She's got a pulse again!" he stuttered, and Madara ran to the room. the metallic smell of blood in the air.

He dashed into the room to see Hiroki on the bed, sitting up in confusion.

"Impossible! She was dead for a whole 5 minutes! I was sure her heart and brain was no longer functioning!" the man said in confusion and turned to face Hiroki in amazement.

"How did you?"

Hiroki stared not at him, but Madara.

"You're Uchiha Madara." she said, pointing a weak finger at him. Madara walked over to her, a look of surprise on his face.

"Yes."

"How did I get here? Where am I?" she looked at her hands, and down on her chest, where a bandage was wrapped around her torso. She looked back at Madara and clutched her head, feeling a strange familiarity with him.

She could not remember.

Madara looked down, realizing she must've lost her memory.

"Where's Hikaru?" Hiroki asked him. Madara looked at her in confusion.

"You...were ambushed by the Mikazuki. You got injured, and was brought here. Apparently, you should've died. But now you're here...and you don't remember anything that's happened in the past few months?" Madara said to her. Hiroki tried to remember something.

"So. Did you have anything to do with it?" Hiroki asked him.

"Yes."

Hiroki could only remember that Hikaru had woken her up...the bright light...and nothing before that.

_Huh? He's...somebody I have feelings for? I feel that way...Madara?!_

Hiroki clenched her head tighter and felt a torrent of mismatched memories come. Hashirama and the river. Taiyaki. Cranes. Kiss. Izuna.

_But where do these belong to?_

_Hikaru? Are you there?_

She felt the reassuring presence of him somehow. A voice whispered in her ear.

_"He's the man you love. Correct?"_ Hikaru said softly.

Hiroki closed her eyes.

_"Try to remember. Let it come..."_

It all came in a rush. She opened her eyes and looked at Madara. she relaxed.

"Ah. It's Madara..." she said softly. His eyes reigstered the recognition. He relaxed.

"Do you remember now?"

"Of course. How could I not remember such a cold bastard like you?" She said and his lips curled into a mocking smile, though underneath, Hiroki could see the smile of relief.

"Cold bastard? Who was the one who put you as a priority first?"

"It's good to be back then." she said sarcastically and grinned.

The medical nins around them stared at Hiroki still in wonder, and began crowding around her.

"Now, how did you come back to life again?!" the man said again.

Hiroki pretended to think for a moment, rubbing her chin in thought.

"Hmm...I guess it would be because I'm godly. I think I remember my brother appearing...then Kabam! Back to life!" She did a loud clap to emphasize her Resurrection and the nins all 'Ohhhh!-ed' and nodded, though Hiroki was sure they had no clue what she was talking about. Even she herself was confused.

Hiroki scratched at her chest and saw the bandage. She didn't feel any pain. Hiroki looked around her and asked one of the doctors.

"Did you heal my wound?"

"No. It was already too late when we tried to seal it. We put a bandage around it to keep you from bleeding when you came in though...it didn't work." he answered and Hiroki nodded. She looked at Madara and turned to face away from him. With a quick peek, she lifted the bandage to look at her wound.

Sure enough, the wound and any sign of it was gone. It was like when she first appeared at the Uchiha.

"Hm. Strange." she said to herself.

"What?" Madara asked, still silent for the meanwhile.

"Let's go. It was nothing." she said and began to get up.

Medical nins came crowding around again.

"Wait! We have to heal you!"

"No worries, the wound is healed."

They looked at her in surprise.

"See?" Hiroki lifted the edge of the bandage to show that there was no longer any sign of it. They stared at it, not able to believe the works of Gods.

"Remarkable..."

"Hurry. We'll grab Izuna too. I'll heal him." Hiroki said and stood up, stretching her arms. She looked down and noticed her clothes in tatters.

"Aish." she noted irritably and wrapped the tatters of the robe tighter in attempt to cover herself. Madara smirked.

"Ah. I don't mind you like that." Hiroki glared at him

"What of Ichiro?" Madara's eyes widened and made a annoyed noise.

"Whatever. Not my problem." he shrugged and walked out the door. Daichi and Ichiro stood up to look at Hiroki in full health.

"What up? Back from the dead anyone?" she smiled and Daichi gave her a reassuring smile. Ichiro grinned and bowed.

"I nearly died myself when I saw that one person come out...man...the Gods must be on your side."

"It was simply a miracle. Besides...I have duties to perform here. I have things I need to do anyways..." Hiroki swiveled to face Madara.

"Now. Where's my favorite onigiri man?" she smiled. Madara rolled his eyes and pointed to the recptionist.

"Ask him."

"How irresponsible. You don't even know where your own brother is?"

Madara narrowed his eyes.

"You're more annoying than ever." he scoffed and led her to a room down the hall. Hiroki opened the door to see Izuna still unconscious on the bed. It looked like the medics had done a good job of healing him so far. Bandages covered most of his body.

"Well. We'll be taking back the Uchiha." Hiroki said to the nurse by his bed. She looked at her in alarm, noticing her fine condition.

"Ah! Miss Hiroki! You've recovered. But Izuna is in no state too."

"I'm a medic as well. I'll take care of him. But for now, it would be more comfortable if he was in our care." Hiroki said and the nurse looked at her, slightly annoyed.

"It's against the hospital rules to take him - "

"I don't give a damn." Hiroki said, smiling sweetly still. The nurse sighed and walked to a medic in the hallway. Hiroki saw her say something angrily to him and point at her. The medic showed no emotion but spoke back and began walking back to the room with the nurse.

"Ah, I see you're in good condition. The other medics have told me of you're miraculous story. I was shocked...but I guess things like that happen around you, huh? Well. This nurse told me you want to take a severely hurt patient out of the care of skilled medics. We can't permit that."

Hiroki drew a sharp breath, growing impatient. Madara leaned against the wall the entire time, watching Izuna and occasionally the loud conversation next to him.

"Out of the hands of skilled medics? I told you I am a perfectly capable medic as well. I would be more comfortable if one of our clan was in the hands of his own. I'm not saying that the Sarutobi aren't skilled or unreliable...I'm simply saying he would be better around people he's more familiar with. It seems you've healed his deeper wounds and more severe ones...I can handle the more minor perfectly fine." she said and the medic nodded.

"Very well. But how are you sure you're skills are good enough."

Madara was just getting a bit impatient.

"All right, doc. I understand you're whole 'no hurt patient leaves the building' thing, but we're on a time limit here, and I have been treated by this medic. I'm sure she can handle a few scars and burns. Now let us leave with my brother." Madara said with irritation in his voice. His authoritative voice made the medic swallow.

"O-Of course! You can bring your brother home!" he smiled and gestured to Izuna. The nurse widened her eyes but hmphed and walked out the door.

"Alright. I'll carry him." Madara said and picked up his brother, who was still as silent as ever. Hiroki walked back out to see Daichi and Ichiro still waiting. When they saw the two, they immediately stood up and walked out the door.

"Man, that took the entire night." Ichiro said and yawned, noticing the sun in the far horizon, dawn welcoming them.

* * *

Izuna blinked once, twice and opened his eyes to see someone bending over him.

"Hyah!" he exclaimed and jumped back. He looked down to see he was shirtless, and blushed, covering himself with the blanket. He looked at the person. Hiroki. She looked at him and smiled, laughing at his reaction.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about! You have a quite nice body if I say so myself~" Hiroki smiled and Izuna stared in bewilderment at her.

"Does it hurt?" Izuna looked down to see his body had been bandaged, and carefully healed.

"Yeah, just my wrists...their sore." He said and tried to roll his hand around, in which he winced. Hiroki nodded and began prodding him in certain areas, in which Izuna shivered, remembering the wounds.

"Good. Just some minor swelling. Alright. Take two of these pills and you'll be good. If it still hurts in 6 hours, tell me, I'll give you some more." Hiroki took out a bottle, and shook out two, small, circular red tablets. Izuna eyed them before asking Hiroki.

"What are these?"

"200 mg Ibuprofen tablets. Reduces fever, swelling and pain." she said and Izuna felt his head.

"I don't have any fever?"

"Aish! Just drink your damn medicine! It's a pain-reliever! Sheesh! It's not like I'm going to kill you!" Hiroki growled and Izuna looked away sheepishly, but drank the medicine with a gulp of water.

"Now. Go down and eat right away. It's necessary. I have prepared the proper meal. Now. If you eat, the medicine will absorb better. Go!" Hiroki said and handed Izuna a robe. It was Madara's.

"We totally forgot about your gear and stuff. Ichiro and them are trying to search for it. Madara's downstairs. You're at the Daichi residence so don't be surprised." Hiroki stood up and Izuna, dumbfounded, did as well. He slipped on the robe uncomfortably, glancing every so and then at Hiroki, who was eyeing him like a hawk. The robe was a tad too big, and it drooped on his haggard frame.

He walked down without any difficulty and found himself quite comfortable, besides the hungry growls from his stomach. Once he entered the dining room, Hiroki sat down at her place and Izuna drooled at the sight. It was mountains of food upon mountains.

Hiroki clapped her hands together.

"Now. Izuna...Vegetables! Steamed and cooked. Eat plenty. You need lots of the vitamins and minerals. Protein! Have the meat, though limit it. You don't need the fat...it won't digest very well right now. Rice! Carbohydrates are essential. Vegetables, just pile it in your mouth. Here!" Hiroki smiled and handed him a plate of steaming stir fried Vegetables, the assortment of it. When he just stared at it, Hiroki grabbed a pair of chopsticks and shoved it in his mouth, three flowers of broccoli.

"Chew. Swallow. Have some more." Once he swallowed, Hiroki grabbed some rice, meat and carrot disks all in his mouth. He pushed her hand away when she reached to shove more in. Madara watched in amusement. Once he swallowed painfully, Hiroki was about to feed him more when he stopped her.

"Gyah! I swear, you're going to choke me! Just let me eat." Hiroki stopped and set the plate down, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'll be watching. You still need lots of nutrients. What if you eat the wrong food?" Hiroki pouted and Izuna sighed.

"All right Ms. Doctor, show me what to eat..." he said sarcastically, but Hiroki took it as a real suggestion.

"Really? I'm honored! Okay! Spinach for calcium, lots of the green stuff! AH! Carrots, your eyes must need it. Oh, try this roe, it's very good in Omega 3 and the good oils and fats you need. They'll help your brain and give your eyes the extra power. Have some of this for stamina, try the liver, lots of Iron!" She pointed out the foods and Izuna just stared at her, but shrugged and ate the food.

Madara ate slowly, watching as Hiroki commented on his every bite.

"No! No more meat!"

"Gr! You need more of the Napa cabbage!"

"Hm! Didn't even touch the fish yet."

Hiroki finally settled down once she saw that Izuna was eating correctly and sat back, already eaten. Izuna had been sleeping for a good half of a day, and It was already midday. Lunch was served just now. Hiroki also noted Madara's eating habits. He chose the more healthy food, and ate plenty of good nutrients. But he completely avoided the roe, which was a very good energy food.

"Oh? Madara, you should try the roe, it's a good food." Hiroki noted. Madara made a face and Izuna smiled.

"Hiroki. He hates roe. Like, he _despises_ it. If it weren't for my good health and restoration, he'd already thrown that plate at the wall already."

Hiroki glanced at Madara. He stared at his food, ignoring her.

"I never liked the disgusting taste of it either. But my brother forced it down my throat and said it was good for me. I had to quench my coughing reflex in order to eat a single piece. Hikaru...if only he hadn't...But I only eat it now for my good health." Hiroki shuddered at the remembrance of her brother's shenanigans.

_"Eat it! A strong shinobi must know what's good for them!"_

_"No! It tastes horrible! Blech!" _

She smiled and continued to point out the flaws of his meal.

* * *

Izuna's room was next to Hiroki's, on the left, while Madara's was on the right. The last few nights had cost them their dearly beloved time together. On their usual place. Once again, The Prince had swiftly returned The Princess to her high tower in the stars, up in the fresh spring air.

"Wah! The view is even more incredible than at home!" Hiroki exclaimed and squinted her eyes to see past all the trees and buildings.

"It's just spectacular because you are not familiar with the scenery from here." Madara said and leaned back.

It was the two once more. On the roof.

"Yep! This day was certainly one of the more relaxing days here." Hiroki spread her arms and closed her eyes, feeling the wind flow into her.

"It's been awhile since we had any personal time as well...It's all been caught up with Izuna." Madara said and looked over at Hiroki. She grinned and leaned against his arm.

"Ah! So that's what you wanted all along?" she said and Madara smirked, gently pushing her away.

"Please."

Hiroki pouted.

"Such a sourpuss!"

"Yes. I am."

"You're never going to get it if you act like that."

He scoffed.

"Well then. I guess you don't want me either."

Hiroki was silent before making a face at him. He responded with his ever stoic, expressionless face, his eyes saying 'Oh really, now?'.

"Psh." Hiroki scoffed and pouted, leaning off to one side.

"The Gods will punish you!"

"What? Some lightning? Death? I'll take it all."

"Ohhh! You're trying to be Mr. Macho-man aren't you?"

"Not really."

Madara was silent for a while. Hiroki didn't even turn to look at him.

"I mean...I guess I am the most almighty?"

"Yeah, yeah, say that to Hikaru."

"It'll be better than you."

"At least I don't act so petty."

"Speak for yourself, you hippocrate."

"Hey! That's my line."

"I feel as if we had this conversation before."

"Just shut your mouth." Hiroki said and jumped off the roof, swinging into the room below.

"Stay right there." Hiroki called and Madara smirked in accomplishment.

It was only the times when she could get angry at him and yet give him a kiss later. He felt Hiroki's chakra behind her but made no move to spoil her surprise.

She wrapped her arms around him and whispered in his ear.

"Boo." He smirked and turned his head to face her.

"I'm the Almighty Uchiha Madara. Do you think I would be surprised by you?"

"I expected as much. But it's still fun."

"No more bickering?"

"Yes. Unless you still want to be a sourpuss."

"Hiroki. Don't get me wrong. I was teasing you."

"You call that teasing?"

"Yes."

Sigh.

"Of course." But Hiroki smiled and covered his eyes with one hand while putting an object in front of him with the other.

"What is it?"

"Look." she said and let go. Hiroki held her sketchbook.

"Why do you have this?"

"I was feeling nostalgic. I captured all my memories here."

"And why are you showing me this?"

"Because this is the most valuable things to me. My memories. When I had that amnesia earlier...I felt really sick...like dreadfully sick. If I can't remember anything...it would be the end of me. So...I guess I will show you my most treasured item. Besides the Hoshigaki. Man...Izuna got to them and I really blew a big one on him!"

"Oh yeah...the persimmons. Izuna really loved those. Heh. He stow away into your room when you were sleeping and took the whole box."

"As expected of Sneaky Uchiha number two."

"Who's number one?"

"That's a rhetorical question."

"Of course it's me."

Hiroki smiled and sat down next to him. The first page was a picture of Hikaru.

"That's my dashing brother if you didn't know." It had a photograph stuck with it.

"Huh? A photograph? In color? My, you guys had such advanced technology." Madara smiled and picked up the picture.

"Ah. I remember. You guys were rare to have a camera. And in black and white." Hiroki smirked.

Madara looked at the man in the photo, Hiroki grinning next to him.

"When was this?"

"I was...18 at the time. Right when I had mastered the Susano. It took me two years! And even then it was not the most skilled. Hikaru personally and secretly trained me."

"He is quite the handsome one."

"Yes! All the women were screaming after him. It was quite disturbing to see such nature of the females."

"What of you?"

"I scoffed at them. They were silly and stupid to try to charm my brother into love. He had me. I never loved anybody because Hikaru was always there."

"You had a brother complex?"

"Yes...if you put it like that... But what about you, huh?! Your real girlfriend is Izuna! I swear, you treat him like a princess!"

Madara turned red.

"What do you expect?! He's the last of my family! He's a person I treasure far beyond anything in this world! Are you jealous by any chance?"

"Jealous? I understand your feelings. It's the same with Hikaru and his love for me. I was the one he raised, loved, fed, and taught."

"Just making sure..."

"Did any women ever go after you?"

"Of course. You saw them. Devil eyes at you. Puppy eyes at me. They all wanted to have a piece of the incredible, handsome, and Almighty Uchiha Madara, leader of the Uchiha clan."

"Did you ever take any as concubines?"

"What type of question is that?! Like hell I would! I wouldn't do such an unsightly thing as such. With women I have no interest in? Disgusting. Sex and women are none of my concern. I have no desire to add such useless things in my life as such."

"Then what of me?"

"You are a different situation. If I wish to marry you, then that is simply part of the marriage, the bonding and the making children part of it."

"Children?"

"Of course! Who's to be the next leader?"

"I figured Izuna."

"Good point. But to be honest here...he's not much of the leader type."

"My. What a way to put down your brother's hard earned strength."

"He was the youngest in the pack. It was never a concern that crossed his mind."

"We're getting too off the topic here! Now. Where were we?"

"Yes. Hikaru. So that was him. Now you know what my beloved brother-in-law looks like."

"In-law?"

"It's a joke."

"A bad one. A one that says you're overly attached to me."

"Isn't marriage a good option though?"

"Let's not got to that again, shall we? It is quite the uncomfortable topic for me. I swear those Uchiha council men have been hounding me for years trying to get me to marry this daughter and that daughter. I just looked them in the face and said 'No.' How those women came home crying like madmen."

"Hah! They just wanted a successor to hound, they wanted the next one to follow ALL their suggestions and have them lead instead of him." Madara said.

"Marriage sounds like a death sentence for the way you put it."

"It is. But it isn't that bad if I choose my own wife. No. I take that back. It's worse."

"How so?"

"They'll be begging to hear what type of whore I picked up at the street and knocked up only to have her marry me just for that reason."

Hiroki was choked on the harsh language.

"Oh. That must be quite a fuss. But what if it's the God's package? They probably figured I was sent here to become your wife!"

"Yep. They certainly have suggested that before. They said I should just force you into marriage. But something made me not. It was the horrible feeling of being held in their reins and the fact that I didn't want to push that onto you." He said.

"Is the Uchiha council evil?"

"Of sorts. They'll try to convince you to do it their way. It's all about them. But I lead the Uchiha clan. I make the decisions. I will decide whether it is done or not. How else would've we survived by now?"

"Huh. Marriage isn't that bad."

"I guess. It's the love that counts."

"The cold bastard actually can have a heart. I'm surprised."

"The Fake Lies-woman actually has a brain."

"Stop! We said no more teasing! Just look."

Hiroki turned the page. It was the drawing from the first day she came here. The one of the scenery from Madara's rooftop. She turned it to reveal a cleanly ripped out page - the drawing of Madara - and beneath it, several more sketches of random Madara drawings. Izuna as well.

"There's you and Izuna being asses on that one day."

"Oh? You mean the day Izuna whooped your butt during training? You actuallly drew that?"

"Yes. It was a interesting memory. He did not totally KO me! I was just caught off guard!"

"Excuses, excuses. Face it. We're just much more Godly than you! You were sent head over heels. Into the dirt. Izuna was laughing his face off."

Hiroki pointed at a better one.

"The Dango Hut in the village. The best ever! Izuna's stuffing himself. You are as mannerly as ever."

"Where's you?"

"I don't draw myself."

"Ah. Want me to?"

"I believe that won't end up quite the way I would expect it."

"No, really. I'm actually quite good!"

"I'll see to your 'amazing' skills later."

Hiroki pointed to another one. It was of them at the Uchiha Council. She made all the members look like demons.

"Heh. Perfect representation. Say...why didn't you draw that one time with the Sesame Dumpling?"

Hiroki blanched and shook her head.

"That's a bad memory!"

"No, it was a hilarious one. That man deserved to be slapped. It was quite the amusing scene."

"What? He put his hand on my boob!"

"Yeah, and two grown adults fought over a piece of food."

"Now...can I draw you?"

"Fine." Hiroki said and handed the book to him, along with a pencil tucked in the spiral of the spine.

Madara stared at her for awhile, then began sketching. After what seemed like a decade, he handed it back to her. Hiroki looked at in surprise.

"It's not bad. But you made me look different."

"I just drew what I thought of you."

"It's too much."

Despite her words, she was very pleased. In the depiction, it showed her as a woman with undeniable beauty. The look in her eyes and her expression showed courage and strength, but her clothes and pose depicted soft and feminine.

"You really think it's me?"

"There wouldn't be any lesser."

Hiroki smiled and closed the notebook. She stared up at the stars and looked for her brother and parents.

"Hey...can you see them? My brother? My parents?" she asked, pointing at the shining lights.

"Look. Make a wish." Madara said and Hiroki caught a glimpse of the falling light, a magnificent tail streaming behind it.

Hiroki closed her eyes and held her breath, her wish a soft breath on her lips.

"What did you wish for?"

"It's a secret."

Hiroki looked over at Madara and smiled, a deep, mysterious feeling in her obsidian eyes.

_I hoped that you could always be by my side like this._

* * *

**Chapter 10 END**

* * *

_**Author's Note: What up?!** Hey It's the tenth chapter! Whoop, whoop! Put your hands up! (Like the ceiling can't hold us!). I love that song. But anyways...I got the new OC under control! I figured I'll have it after they return from Daichi's Residence and the whole alliance thing is done._

_So. I have been really busy. It'll get real busy within the next month. Then I have to go back to school. Wee! Another decade of studying! Wee! Pediatric Surgeon time! Yeah, yeah, the smart Asian becomes a doctor! I might just skip it and go to Plastic Surgery or do Pharm School. MCAT or PCAT? Anyone?_

_I should go to Korea and make money doing Plastic Surgery. That would be fun. Lee Min Ho is there. And I make lots of money. But I'll miss everyone in America. And I wouldn't fulfill my dream. My true dream is...to help little kids. Yep! Woo! GO Pediatrics! But Med school is SO EXPENSIVE! I hope they'll give me a Scholarship! _

_Madara...he's becoming EVIL! EVIL! GYEAHH. Hiroki! GOOO! DUDNDUNDUNDUND (catchy Pokemon music!) ! Use, LOVE SPELL! IT WAS SUPER EFFECTIVE! Whoop. So Hiroki saves the day, and, and...YOU'LL HAVE TO KEEP READING. ;D_

_Loves, Annie Rima-chan_


	11. Chapter 11: I Believe

_Hello! I've been so happy recently for all the support! I think that because of the editing in my story, it was better! Yeah! I got the Character Development down. So...Madara...JUST GO AND SAY YOU LOVE HER ALREADY. STOP BEING SUCH MEANIE. ;D But...thanks to: My AWESOME Mexican Friend. I'll make some Chip Dip for you sometime. Remember: Bananas? Teehee! I really love all the expensive Textbooks man! Whoop! Spent like 2 grand buying all that._

_I'm so sorry for the really late update. I've been super busy flying back to New York for school, getting things organized, and super jet lag much? I was typing this on the plane._

* * *

**Chapter 11: I Believe**

There was once a girl who was alone. She had lost everything. The girl roamed around, trying to find her lost heart. It was lost in a deep darkness, a loneliness that could not be cured. The only thing she could do was stare at the stars and hope for a wish to come. The girl walked until she could not anymore. She would sit in a corner and cry, hoping the ache of her empty chest would disappear. Finally, overcome with a dark sadness, she closed her eyes and fell into an eternal sleep. The gods saw her and felt pity. They gave her a gift and a curse.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a whole new world. It was filled with mysterious people...but she felt a new passion in her. She realized with a smile that she had found her heart again.

The girl found a man. The man was a cold and bitter person, unwilling to open himself to her. But...the girl had somehow entered his heart and they found love. The man had turned kind and gentle with her, and they fell into bliss.

But a single piece of her heart...the darkness that still lingered with her - along with the God's curse. It grew until it enveloped her heart into complete darkness. It was the horrible secret that devoured her. It was wrapped in tight chains, not letting anyone pass.

The man reached out and broke the chains around her heart, and he cleansed it clean with his love. He embraced her and she was no longer alone.

So the girl found herself...she found her heart.

* * *

Hiroki stared into the night sky, entranced by the vast amount of the stars. It filled it like a billion sparkles were just thrown onto the midnight blue canvas of the night sky. She singled out Hikaru. His face entered her mind, a smile formed at the corners of her lips.

"Madara, what did you wish for?"

"Nothing. There is nothing that I can't do in my own power."

Hiroki smiled and looked over at him. He was still staring at the moon.

"Why do you always do that?"

"What?"

"Stare at the moon like that."

"Because I'm always trying to memorize it's face."

"How macho."

Madara looked at her with a hint of amusement.

"Really now."

"I'm kidding. When I first saw you do that, I figured you were trying to be all macho."

"Not surprising. You are full of interesting thoughts, I'm sure."

Madara smiled slyly and poked her in the forehead. Hiroki blushed and looked away.

She yawned and stretched her arms.

"I'd better get to sleep and check on Izuna."

"You want to sleep with me again?" Madara said humorously.

"No."

"Why not? I enjoy you as my warm teddy bear."

"Because it's embarrassing."

"Oh really?" he smiled and grabbed her, swinging into the window. It was his room down below and he landed swiftly, Hiroki struggling futilely against his hold. Madara pushed her down onto the bed and crawled next to her. He still had his grip on her.

"Don't go. Stay here." he whispered softly in her ear. Hiroki felt so relaxed in his arms she nearly forgot about Izuna.

"I must go." she said, and pressed herself against his chest , wrapping her arms in a warm hug around him. She felt so safe and comfortable in his arms. Madara looked down and smiled. Hiroki caressed his face with a hand before pressing her lips against his briefly.

Hiroki fell away from his arms and got up, closing the door behind her.

Madara knew that it was unmistakable. He knew that his feelings were something towards her, a deep, caring love. He couldn't help it whether he liked it or not.

All he was doing now was trying to not be a cold bastard.

He was good at that. Unfortunately.

* * *

"Izu-chan! Where's my beloved patient?" Hiroki exclaimed as she opened the door to Izuna's room. He was sitting up in his bed, a wooden board across his lap and scrolls strewn all around him.

"That medicine didn't work."

"Are you kidding me! It was heaven food! That stuff is industrial strength, no way it can't work. Or maybe NSAID's don't work on the Uchiha brothers. Maybe some Tylenol? Advil?"

"What the heck are you talking about? My headache seems to get worse."

"My dear Izuna, the medicine simply wore off. Here, have some more." Hiroki smiled and shook out two more pills from the bottle in her pocket. Izuna took it and swallowed it without any water. He grimaced at the bitter taste.

"Ech! It tastes horrible!"

"Aish! Stop complaining! You're starting to sound like Madara!"

"I'm not sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment."

"Stop. You should rest. Look at you. You look like a haggard doll." Hiroki went over to ruffle his hair. She tidied up the area around him and laid him down, putting the covers over his body.

"No worries. You should get some sleep. Some mint and warm milk could help. That's what Hikaru Nii-chan always did for me."

Izuna blushed and looked away.

"You're acting like my older sister or something. We're the same age, you know."

"But I'm still older than you. Technically, I should be your older sister because of Madara."

His eyes brightened up.

"Are you two getting married?!"

"No! Well. I'm not sure. I really just like him." Izuna smiled and closed his eyes.

"Madara is someone who's really kind at heart. Trust me. He's willing to do anything for the person he loves."

"I swear, you act like his girlfriend more than I! Maybe you two have a secret relationship..."

"My brother?! Stop!"

"I was kidding!"

"Anyways. I can tell that he likes you a lot as well. Even if he acts like a cold bastard."

"Yeah. He does that a lot."

"It's his nature. He's personally fighting himself just to make himself love you."

"Really? I had no Idea."

"Sometimes, he can fight hard enough to be very happy around you."

"I see that."

"But when it comes to important matters...he can easily forget his feelings."

"I know."

Hiroki recalled his hard, cold face when he left for the Mikazuki. She could feel his anger and rage when they were connected by the Device.

"Don't worry. He cares about you as much as me."

"But he would easily choose you over me. You're his beloved brother. I know that for a fact. Literally."

"What do you mean?

Hiroki sighed, realizing Izuna must know as well.

"Promise that you'll protect this secret with your heart and soul. Your life and the Uchiha lay in your hands as well if I tell you."

Izuna looked alarmed, but grew serious.

"I swear upon my parent's and brothers' graves." He reached his hand up to lay it upon his heart. Hiroki nodded.

"I'm from the future. I was sent by the Gods somehow...but they never gave me a purpose as such to help the Uchiha or defeat the Senju. I have yet to figure out."

Izuna's eyes widened and narrowed.

"You were lying. To all of the Uchiha." His voice was cold.

"No. I wasn't I simply came... and I believe that it was for the purpose of the Uchiha. Madara knew this before you."

"Wait. He was keeping it a secret?!"

"He swore to me."

"Ah. WHAT?! You're from the future?!"

"Yes."

"That means you know EXACTLY how all of us are going to turn out?!"

"Correct. It is very dangerous knowledge, you see. That's why I have kept it a secret and perhaps tell a few lies to keep it safe."

"I see...so it wasn't your fault...it was only for you to defend yourself."

"Precisely. But it was also because I was stupid and I tend to say things when I'm threatened."

"Back to the point... so how does this all relate to Madara and his feelings for me and you?"

"I know when all of you will die."

"Even me?"

"Yes..." Hiroki's stomach lurched...she felt queasy.

"Does that mean...I'm going to...die?"

Hiroki closed her eyes and too a deep breath.

"No. But I'll say that all of you are going to die sooner or later."

"But I'm the sooner."

"No."

"So how does this connect?"

"Nevermind. If I tell you...you're Madara's going to go bonkers."

"Okay...I'll keep this conversation a secret."

"Thank you. Now sleep."

"Can I have some of that milk?"

"Of course! I'll be right back." Hiroki smiled and stood up, walking silently down the stairs. She encountered the cook and asked for a cup of milk with a few mint leaves. She smiled and brought back the warm cup. Hiroki smiled gratefully and walked carefully back up the stairs.

"Izuna?"

"Hm? Oh..." he said half-asleep. Hiroki gently propped him up and he downed the milk with one gulp.

"Wow. That tastes good. Thank you...Nee-chan."

Hiroki did a double take.

"Nee-chan?!"

"Yep. Good night. Oh yeah...say that to Madara too."

Izuna winked and pulled the covers over his head. Hiroki blushed when she realized his words. She pushed his head and he laughed, muffled under the covers.

"You perverted little..." she muttered and walked out the door again.

* * *

Hiroki walked back into Madara's room to see that it was ptich black. From the faint light in the hallway, she could make out Madara's figure on the bed, arms behind his back, unmoving.

"Ah...he's sleeping. Well, Good Night. Izuna says so too." Hiroki whispered softly and stuck her head back out, closing the door slowly so it wouldn't make any creaks.

"I'm still awake."

Hiroki jumped and swung the door wide open. With a shiver, she saw two glowing red orbs on the bed, a smirk beneath them.

"Stop. It's creepy." She said and the glow disappeared.

"Come here. I was waiting. You take an awful long time for just a check-up."

"We were talking, and I got him some warm milk so he could sleep better. He actually called me Nee-chan! I was surprised. And, No. I don't want your creepy eyes staring at me while I sleep." Hiroki said and began to close the door again.

Madara put his hand on the door to stop it. Hiroki realized that she could not win against his death grip.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room. How did you get here? And why are you shirtless?!" Hiroki blushed as she turned away.

"I'm just that fast. And all to your pleasure, Hiroki."

Hiroki felt her heart beat just a bit faster and she walked away. Madara grabbed her arm and pulled her into the dark confines of his room, closing the door with a small click of the lock.

He swung her onto the bed and held her down.

"You're not leaving me." he whispered into her ear. She shivered at his seductive voice. But at the same time, blushed even redder.

"A-All right...just don't do anything..." she said in a small voice.

"Of course. I wouldn't violate you like that." Madara said and let go of her, laying down beside her body. She turned away from him and rolled to the farthest edge of the bed. Madara smiled and rolled to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and rolling her back to the center of the bed.

"Why are you so upset?"

"I'm not...just a bit uncomfortable."

"Should I let you go?"

"It's not that I don't want to be with you...I'm not sure if _you_ want me here."

Madara turned to face her, expressionless as ever.

"Why did you say that?"

"Ichiro told me about your...intentions with the ambush trap."

He was silent as he mentally cursed him.

"Ichiro told me that you didn't even care if I died."

Once again, Madara was contemplating a reasonable excuse.

"I won't deny it." he finally said, feeling it would be no better if he hid from the truth.

"But, at that point...I was so enraged by the Mikazuki and worried about Izuna. You understand, right?"

Hiroki smiled, but felt a strange pang in her chest.

"Of course. I know what you feel towards Izuna. In fact...I would rather die in his place so you would never have to feel the pain of losing your brother. I told Ichiro that before we left to search for him."

Madara relaxed. But guilt welled up inside of him.

"Why would you risk your own life to save someone you only just knew? Wouldn't that be the most idiotic thing I've ever heard." Madara said, his usual hard tone back.

"Because I am replaceable. It is my purpose. I was meant to save, I believe. If Izuna died...it would be two knock outs. One - Izuna would be gone. Two - You. Even if I die, I don't care. I died for my brother."

Madara looked at her, startled.

"You died?!"

"Yes. When my brother mysteriously killed himself in my place, then gouged out his own eyes to transplant them to me, the Uchiha's were frightfully worried. Scared of me, mostly. So...they used up the excuse that I killed my brother to execute me. And they chased me. At that time...my power on the Mangekyou had improved greatly. But - I was never meant to use it. Nor the Eternal. I am a sufficient Sharingan user...women aren't meant to use it. But...somehow I managed to inherit the line. With the exception of a defect. I was unstable. And will always be."

"Yes. I noticed that when I sparred you quite a while ago." he said.

"Anyways...I used my Mangekyou in order to get away. And just at the moment when it was the worst - it failed me. I lost it and my conscious for a brief moment. It was all my skilled Nakama needed. Yes. My own Nakama thought I betrayed them. It broke them, and filled them with rage. Enough to try and kill me. They circled around me. My Mangekyou was useless. I had nothing. I was going to die. There was no escape. Except one. So...I took my own life."

"You commited suicide to prevent them from killing you? That's the same outcome." Madara scoffed.

"Yes. But I did it in my brother's honor."

"I guess that is better."

"I don't know what happened next, but I woke up in the hospital. In your time. I thought it was heaven until I smelled the sickness and death in the air." Hiroki stared up at the ceiling, her eyes adjusting to the light.

"I would die for anybody I love. Including you and Izuna."

"You love me." he said sarcastically.

"Meh." Hiroki said with amusement and shrugged. Madara scowled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you are a big stupid idiot."

"What?!"

Hiroki grinned and poked him in the forehead.

"You are so hilarious." she said and smiled. Madara stared at her with an un-amused frown. Hiroki could still the smile in his eyes.

"I wish there was an invention. An invention that could bottle up a memory. Then, whenever I wanted I could uncork it and relive it all again." Hiroki said and Madara chuckled.

"Is that so? Is being in bed with me right now so memorable?"

Hiroki laughed.

"No. It's not this exact moment. It's this feeling, this time. I just have a notion that I may never be able to return here."

"Of course. You'll die."

"No...it's not that...I have a feeling that I will never _remember_ this again."

He pursed his lips and thought for a moment.

"Does this all have to do with you being from the future?"

"Maybe so. "

They both laid there and thought of their own ideas.

_Was I ever supposed to fall in love with him? What will become of his fate? What if I changed it? No...I believe it is my purpose to come here to save him from such tragedies. I should never tell him...even if my life risked on it._

Hiroki began to worry whether she was able to remain silent about it. She looked over at him. His face was passive, relaxed. No hard lines or the deep scowl that was always there when he thought hard.

_I am fully aware of how such a thing as 'love' can distract me from my real duties. Is this woman really worth my time? She's someone nobody knows about, only herself. She is full of secrets and mysterious things that I do not know if good or bad. She knows when my death will come. Should I trust her? Nevertheless, my heart?_

Madara remained doubtful, but the nagging feeling at his heart grew.

_No. A part of me says no. It says that I should trust this woman, I should know her by now. Trust or not, I know my thoughts and doubts are far from what I'm denying myself of. How did I ever let myself fall into this pit of hell? Having to wonder over to trust someone...Love, what a manipulative emotion. It twists the person's ture thoughts. Or is that just me? Is that just me trying to deny it. _

He scoffed at himself.

Pitiable. The Almighty Madara actually was afraid of such a thing as love.

Hiroki delved deep into her swirling thoughts to unravel another fragment of the once life she had.

The grass that blew so gently. It smelled of nature, of the home she was so familiar with...she could almost taste the fragrant air now...filled with the sweetness of cherry blossoms...

_"...you know. Life is such a fickle thing. Unknowing, nothing we can ever do about it. All we can do is think about what possiblities can happen in it. But nothing can change the fate that lies ahead of all of us. Death."_

Oh, how she could laugh at her brother's words.

_"Hikaru...why must you speak of our parent's death now?"_

_"Because you will have to face many more hard sacrifices later."_

_"Huh? What do you mean?"_

_"You'll have to deal with more deaths, one that are even dearer to you than the parents you barely knew."_

_"You mean like Takeo or Jun?"_

_"Perhaps. What of me? What if I happened to have my life stolen?"_

The young Hiroki narrowed her eyes.

_"Then I would kill the one who did that to you. I wouldn't think of anything else except of the avenging of your death. I don't like this conversation...too morbid."_

Hikaru had smiled and looked to far off with a strange flash in his eyes. Hiroki did not know what it meant then.

The petals continued to flutter aimlessly about. How she could even envy little things as such. Flying wherever the wind could take you, not worrying about where to go, a place to be, just go wherever your host can take you...

Hiroki thought to herself that perhaps he had spoken to her on purpose then. She thought that perhaps he had planned it out all before he actually took his own life. It explained his knowing smile, as if saying to her, _"Silly child, you do not think further? Of course, you cannot know the things I do..."_

_"Ah, my Hiroki-chan! Why the long face?"_

_"The mean boys at school said I was a boy. Why did our parents name me Hiroki? Isn't it a boy's name?"_

_Hikaru laughed._

_"Yes, I suppose so. They thought it was too be a boy as well. Father was too devastated with Mother's death to change your name, so it stuck. I believe Hiroki is a wonderful name, girl or not. It shows strength."_

_"But it won't stop the boys from teasing me."_

_"It will only hurt you if you think it does. Silly girl! Aren't you proud of your late parents/"_

_"But Hikaru-Nii!"_

_"Ah-ah-ah! Don't cry...cheer up! Your name is beautiful, it matters only to the ones who love you, right?"_

_"Sniff. Okay. I'll show those meanies!"_

Hiroki smiled and touched her heart, where she felt the familiar pangs run through her chest. The aches of melancholy thought.

"Madara, do you ever wonder if fate is meant to be?"

When he didn't respond. she took it as him falling asleep. Sighing in relief, she began to get up. Then with a jump, he grabbed her arm. She let out a startled cry.

"My, you like to leave, don't you? I believe I'll have to hang onto you all night. To answer your question, many times. I always wondered why Mother and Father had to die, why my brothers did. I wondered why the Uchiha were fighting the Senju, and why I came to met you. I do believe fate can be changed, for you are oblivious to your coming here as much as I. It's obvious you came here knowing that the future would be different because of your existence in my time."

Hiroki nodded, impressed.

"Then I wonder if I could really change the fate of all your lives because of me."

"That depends how important you really are in this game."

"To you?"

"To a significance."

"Does that mean that I am important to you?"

"I'll just say...right now. You are someone that I have grown...fond of. Someone I would miss. That is quite a feat you have done. Making me, Madara, the Uchiha clan leader, fall for you."

Hiroki smiled and nudged him again.

"I'm surprised you came to admit it."

"It was quite against my personal, independent pride. But my stubborn heart won't let go of it."

"I think I do rather fancy this one."

Madara chuckled deeply.

"Then that's a point for both of us." he said and pulled her back into his strong embrace. Hiroki felt herself calling to him again, like she wanted to stay in his arms forever. She could feel herself falling even deeper. She leaned her ear against his chest.

_Doki. Doki. Doki._

She blushed to herself, not that it mattered, since he could not see it in the darkness.

_Am I making his heart beating faster?_

"You are listening to my pulse? Does is surprise you that I have been aroused by you?"

"No...it's just a bit embarrassing..."

"How so?"

"That I could make a man feel this way..."

"Oh, you innocent little girl..." he laughed and stroked her head. She blushed again.

_God! Why am I all blushy?!_

Madara took her chin and lifted her face.

"I can still see your face..." he said softly and leaned in to kiss her. His lips pressed gently against hers at first, just softly grazing each other's. Hiroki felt her ears go red and tensed.

"Relax, it will be more pleasant. Open your lips a bit." he said to her, his tone almost chiding her. Hiroki hesitated before doing as he told. He opened his mouth a bit and began kissing more intensely. It wasn't long before his tongue slipped in.

"Hm! Ngh..." Hiroki cried in proteset, feeling ever more embarrassed. She felt him smile as he twirl his tongue even more, his lips roaming hers expertly.

Hiroki felt her mind go numb, blank. Unable to think, the only thing on her mind was Madara and his entrancing kiss.

She fell back, dazed. Still hazy, Madara smirked at her.

* * *

Hiroki awoke to see that she was once again, in the sheets of his truly, Madara's bed.

She groaned and scolded herself. She glanced over at his sleeping form. Without another word, she pushed herself off of the bed and back into her room. She glanced outside. It was early morning. Hiroki showered and readied herself.

Once again, she wandered into Izuna's room to check on his wounds. Unlike lazy old Madara, he was already awake.

"So. Is it just me, or is it that medicine you gave me, because I feel great!" Izuna piped. Hiroki smiled.

"It's both. Your chakra is replenishing faster than normal, because of your body's state. And the medicine speeds up the process even further. Good, no worries." Hiroki said. She examined his wounds one last time before turning to leave.

The better Izuna finished his business at the Sarutobi clan, the faster they could all go home. She had already confirmed with Daichi that the alliance was sound. Izuna was here to be witness and for the battle structures.

The threat of the Mikazuki were still intact. There was even more worries. Hiroki sighed, knowing that it would only include the more boring meetings and such. Once the worry of Izuna's health was intact, the alliance with the Sarutobi would be more to put to mind, then possible alliances with the several other clans. Hiroki knew her duties lied in the aliiances as well.

She viewed the entire war from a spectator's view, noting and memorizing. She kept her thoughts to herself.

Izuna got his things organized. The Sarutobi were preparing for the last remnants of our leave. At last. On the eight morning, we headed out.

I said my goodbyes, smiled, and turned to leave.

"Misa-chan, when I see you, I hope you are a beautiful lady. Here." she smiled, handing her a golden crane.

"May peace and happiness be bestowed upon your family." Hiroki said, closing her yes, clasping the golden bird in the child's hands. Misa wrapped her arms around Hiroki, and whispered in her ear.

"Of course, Hiro-chan. I hope you and Madara get married soon." she smiled deviously. Hiroki widened her eyes, blushing. She poked her in the forehead.

"Maybe." she said, winking at Misa. Misa grinned.

Hiroki turned to Ichiro.

"Thank you for everything. You'd better find a wife, or else I might feel guilty." Ichiro blushed, smiling.

"Then I'd better not find a wife..." he said, amused. Hiroki actually smiled.

"Who knows, this grumpy bastard might just be too grumpy." Hiroki joked, cocking her head in Madara's direction. Madara stiffened and made a dark face. He reached a hand to place atop her head.

"Grumpy bastard, you say?" he said darkly.

Hiroki uttered a few laughs.

"There he goes." Hiroki said.

"Be strong, Toshiro, Masahiro. Be the warriors I want to see one day."

The two brothers nodded.

"My pleasure, Hiroki." They said.

"Then good-bye, Aoi, Daichi." They nodded. Hiroki bowed, smiling brightly, and turned to leave.

Once she turned and didn't see there faces anymore, only did a tear of happiness and sadness roll down her cheek.

The man standing beside her turned to look at her face. With a smirk, he wiped the crystalline drop off her face.

"So sentimental." He said. She smiled and laughed.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Izuna looked sideways at them and snickered to himself.

"What are you laughing at, Ototo?"

"Your faces." Izuna said, surprised he caught it.

"Better than yours." Madara muttered.

"And with that, the Three Musketeers roll off!" Hiroki yelled into the sky, sprinting past them. The brothers looked at each other, smiled, shrugged their shoulders, and ran after her.

* * *

The summer air hit with the fresh scent of Cherry Blossoms. Hiroki smiled at the scent. Leaning against the all familiar trunk, she sighed, lying back and watched the petals whirl off. With a quick hand, she snatched a single petal and smiled to herself.

She let it go; it gently floated back with it's brothers and sisters.

Hiroki stood up, and stretched, leaning from one side to another. With a grin, she headed back to the village of Uchiha.

"I wonder where those idiot brothers are." she muttered to herself.

It had been two months since the Daichi expedition. She had overheard plans of more alliances. When she reached town, murmurs of surprise reached her ears. She greeted people and they parted for her. She saw a crowd along the streets, and in the middle, were Sarutobi shinobi marching along it. In the front, was a man she recognized immediately.

"Ichiro!" she called to the commander of the troops, recognizing the face. With a startle, the man turned to look at the voice. The march halted.

When he spotted the warm smile, he grinned back.

"Hey!" He yelled back. The Sarutobi troops relaxed at their Commander's grin. They turned to the woman's voice.

Hiroki bounded over to him. More murmurs began.

"What are you doing here?"

"Madara said it would be okay if some of our shinobi were stationed here as well. So, how's it been in the past two months?"

"Total hell. It was fuss about Battles and shit. I don't think I can stand another minute of those boring meetings."

Ichiro laughed.

"What a relief to see a friendly face. They trust you, right?" Ichiro asked.

"Yeah, somewhat." Hiroki said, looking at bit uncomfortable.

"Eh? What's the matter?"

"A lot of people here also think I'm a fake." Hiroki whispered quietly, eyeing his soldiers. Ichiro noticed her wary glance and turned to one of his soldiers, a captain of sorts.

"Captain Masato, lead them to the location. You're in charge for now. I have business to talk." he said and the man nodded. Ichiro led Hiroki off while the other man led his troops.

"It seems you'be gotten bigger."

Ichiro smiled.

"Yes, thanks to you, my father decided that I would take the bigger roles. I'm accepting the fact that he's deciding to retire, and let me take the leadership of the Sarutobi."

"It seems they trust and respect you." Ichiro nodded.

"Yes, I am proud." he said with a strong voice. "Now what were you saying?"

"Ah, yes. They think I'm not what I really told to be."

"What does that mean?" Ichiro said, confused.

"You know about the whole thing with me and prophecies and such? Future? The Forbidden Knowledge? The thing with the Gods?"

Ichiro nodded slowly.

"Well, some in the council, they think I'm lying. I'm making it up just to be better than them."

"Are you?" Ichiro asked, no emotion whatever.

Hiroki looked startled.

"Of course not! Why would I lie to my own clan?!" Hiroki said angrily. Ichiro stared at her darkly before breaking out in a smile.

"I'm kidding. Then prove it to them."

"How? If I tell anyone the Forbidden Knowledge, it can be very disastrous." Hiroki said.

Ichiro paused, nodding.

"This is a tricky pickle."

Ichiro narrowed his eyes.

"Then there's only one thing you can do to earn there trust."

"What is it?"

"You have to..."

When Ichiro was done, Hiroki gasped, shaking her head furiously.

"No! It's impossible. It's not right!"

"But it is the only way in your situation. You can't tell them the Forbidden Knowledge, you can't prove your strength, you can only prove your trust with that."

"But...but...what if...?!"

Ichiro looked down.

"It is a risk you have to take! It was done before, and it can be done again. Trust me."

Hiroki shook her head, unable to believe it.

"It will bring everything to light, more than if you do it any other way."

Hiroki slowly nodded.

"I believe so... But how are we ever going to pull this off?"

"Hmm, good point. This is even trickier..."

Ichiro snapped his fingers and looked up.

"I got it. Go with Madara or Izuna sometime, to those ambushes they always plan. It'll be perfect."

"But we'll just be farther away from everybody."

"Not if it's to the Senju."

"High risk, we only do large full-force battles. It slowly dies out."

Ichiro nodded once more.

"Then when the's next one?"

Hiroki looked away, thinking...

"I'm not sure. I have to ask Madara about that..."

Ichiro groaned.

"Agh! Why don't you listen to the Meetings for once?!"

"It's not y fault! I'm only there to give any opinion! You know, with this whole thing!" Hiroki said. Ichiro sighed, pinching his nose-bridge.

He paced back and forth. Hiroki looked down, doubting herself.

"Ichiro-san, why are you even helping me?" Hiroki said, her voice weak with exasperation. Ichiro stopped pacing and turned to face her. He smiled gently and placed a reassuring hand on her head, his other hand a big thumbs up.

"Because, I still haven't found a wife yet!" he smiled, winking. Hiroki looked taken back before grinning.

"Ichiro-san...Thank you." Hiroki looked down, flushing.

Ichiro looked surprised, blushed and smiled.

"N-No, you're too kind." he said softly.

He turned serious. Hiroki nodded.

"Then it's settled. Ask about the next attack, then we'll carry out plan. Secret between us, all right?"

Hiroki nodded. He held out a hand, and she shook it.

"Then, till next time, Ichiro!" Hiroki smiled and turned to run off. Ichiro smiled at her retreating form.

"I won't let you down, I promise." he said, trusting himself to their plan.

* * *

Hiroki smiled to herself about meeting Ichiro again. She felt she could trust him. But the seed of doubt grew inside of her about the plan...

She reached the top of the Hill, where the glorious mansion lay, within it, the Leader of the Uchiha Clan. Of course, the street was sprawled with the numerous castles, all filled with the nobles and generals of their clan.

Hiroki entered their house, her footsteps echoing off the empty walls.

"Hello?!" She bellowed, and she heard it call down the hallway. A few more steps, she looked around the bend, trying to find anybody.

"Aish! Stop hurting my ears."

Hiroki jumped and turned around to face the master of the house. She grinned.

"Of course. Sorry." She smiled and Madara rolled his eyes.

"Where have you been?"

"Off seeing the great wonders of the world."

"Be serious now."

"One of them included this really big gate!"

"I'm going to punch you." He growled. Hiroki didn't know if he was kidding or not, so she nervously smiled.

"I was seeing Ichiro." she admitted in a tiny voice. Madara both sighed in relief and perked up to the meddlesome Sarutobi's name.

"Well, then I see him and his troops have arrived. What a hoopla it must have been for the village." he said. Hiroki nodded.

"And you were running off to see him, you said?" Hiroki paled.

"Maybe..."she said, looking away. Madara knocked her gently on the head.

"I don't like that guy."

"He'll be the future of our alliance."

"Daichi won't die so soon."

"Ichiro told me he's planning on retiring."

"He wouldn't." Madara bristled, and Hiroki nodded furiously.

"Yes, yes! I heard it all. But I was just meeting with an old friend, for Kami-sama's sake. Nothing to worry about, 'Danna-sama'."

Madara stiffened at her address of him. Hiroki smiled slyly and winked. He looked wryly at her.

"Danna-sama?" he questioned.

"A joke, a joke." Hiroki said quickly and laughed.

"So, how long did that take? What did you do the rest of the day?"

Hiroki pretended to think for awhile.

"Get to the point..." he said impatiently.

"Well, I ate. Then did a few rounds...off to Sakura Meadow...nice nap...Ate, ate some more...met Ichiro, then had to come home to this guy."

Madara sighed. He took a glance at her before turning to return to his duties. Hiroki tailed after him.

"So, where did you go today? Anything important?" she said seriously.

"I had to agree with the Council on any other alliances. We're thinking of the Hachuki clan and the Kurosuki, they both work together currently, but the Hachuki is on not a complete hatred towards the Sarutobi, but a somewhat not friendly one either. I might have to send some envoys or Izuna there soon. Are you concerned?"

Hiroki nodded.

"Is ther anything concerning the Senju?"

"What of them?"

"Battles? Attacks? Ambushes?"

Madara narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why are you so interested in such, you usually aren't." he said. Hiroki stiffened.

"I maybe wanted to join in the next one." she said quietly. Madara stopped and turned to her.

"Oh really? I thought you said you didn't want to...the secret assassin, was it?"

"Well, I would just be useless otherwise." she said.

Madara contemplated her offer.

"You aren't a bad one...but, what are you really getting at?" he said.

Hiroki quickly swallowed realizing that he had caught on.

"Nothing, I just hated sitting around doing nothing."

"Good point, sneaking to meet other men behind my back." he said, amusingly.

Hiroki reddened and scowled crossly.

"Hey! I was not! Ichiro is our ally and friend, if you didn't forget." she said.

"Yes, but as I recall, he had quite the fetish for you as well..."

"Back to the point..." she said, getting irritated. They stopped outside his door. She had never been in his room, and she did not dare to enter now.

"I must resume this conversation later, for I have business to care to. Papers, if you could say...now run along..." he said, shooing her off. Hiroki felt utterly rejected as he swiveled her around, pushed her gently and turned back around. When Hiroki turned around again to protest, Madara was already inside his room, dark and unknowing, without any sign.

Hiroki sighed and ventured off to find Ichiro again, to inquire him about Madara, for it seemed he would not give the information that easily. She searched around, following the gossip around the village, for it seems everyone was talking about it, to the location of the Sarutobi.

"Do you know where Sarutobi Ichiro is?"

"Eh? The man at the front?"

"Yes! Ye tall, fluffy looking hair, strange symbol on his right arm?"

"Ah! That guy! Quite the handsome boy...I think he went to lead his troops to the Council Meeting Room. Some sort of agreement...I think Izuna-sama is over there as well."

"Thank You!"

Hiroki knocked on the door, and listened for any sound. She jumped back when Izuna opened the door.

"Ah!"

"Oh? Hiroki? What's your business here?" he asked. Hiroki smiled and looked past him. Several of the members were there, along with Ichiro and his small amount of troops.

"Ichiro! I'm here to talk with him." Izuna raised an eyebrow, staring curiously at her.

"Hm? When did the two of you get so close?" he asked, grinning. Hiroki scowled and poked Izuna in the forehead.

"He's just a friend. I was just having an interesting conversation with him earlier and I wanted to resume it."

"Well, we're quite busy right now... just wait a few moments."

'What's up?" Hiroki asked.

Izuna smiled. "Just organizing things."

"Ah." With that, Izuna closed the door. Hiroki turned around stiffly and sat down outside the door.

"Stupid." Hiroki pouted to herself and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And wait-

"Hiroki sorry for the-"

Izuna looked down to see Hiroki hunched over.

"Eh, are you..." Hiroki lolled her head to the side. Izuna looked at her nervously.

"She's asleep. I guess it was too long..."

The members shuffled out, noticing Hiroki and snickering. Hiroki didn't even notice. Ichiro shuffled out and took one look at Hiroki before bursting out laughing.

"My god! Hey! Wake up!"

She jerked open.

"What? Is Hikaru here?! Where's the dango?" she looked around wildly before standing up and catching Ichiro's laughing face.

She looked away, embarrassed.

"So? Our conversation? What of it?"

"Ah! I have to ask you one important question."

"Hmm?"

Hiroki glanced at Izuna.

"Can I talk with him alone?" she asked Izuna. He smiled big.

"Well, as long as it's not anything bad."

"Eh...It's nothing!" Hiroki smiled brightly and Izuna shrugged his shoulders. Ichiro glanced sideways at him and walked off with Hiroki. As they were padding off, Izuna narrowed his eyes and discreetly hid his chakra to eavesdrop.

"It's rare that those two would want to talk in private." Izuna muttered to himself.

Once they assumed they were alone, Hiroki took a deep breath.

"Is Madara allowed to know?"

"Why?"

"Becuase it seems he kind of suspected me for asking him about the whole thing. And he wanted to know my intention...I can't really lie to him."

Ichiro paced.

'It's up to you. I only offered up the idea. It's you who is executing the plan."

Hiroki swallowed.

"I think he should. I feel kind of wrong..."

Ichiro smiled.

"There's nothing wrong, and I agree with you, if that's how you feel."

Hiroki nodded.

"Ichiro, do you really think it would work? What if I actually die?"

Izuna, who was listening, stiffened.

Ichiro looked down, unable to answer.

"It's up to you, I can't say. If you are willing to take the risk, then so be it. If not, I will not pressure you to do it."

Hiroki shook her head, "No, I want to be able to prove myself. I think it is the only way...seeing that the other methods can't work."

"Then I am no longer a part of it. You decide what you want. I am only here to offer the suggestion. Farewell." Ichiro said and turned to leave.

Hiroki felt confusion puddle in her stomach.

_The Uchiha don't trust me. This is the only way they can acknowledge me as not a liar. The risk is great, but I am willing._

Izuna felt his mind whirl. _What is this plan? What are they hiding? Is Hiroki planning something? It doesn't seem to be bad, seeing that she wants to share it with Madara...but I'll see more of this when she confesses._

He slipped away and waited at the front gate. Surprisingly, Ichiro got there before him.

Ichiro looked at Izuna and smirked.

"I knew you were eavesdropping the entire time. Don't underestimate a Sarutobi's sensing skills. No worries, you have no fear." Ichiro said, and smiled kindly, leaving after his shinobi. Izuna nodded in his wake, noticing Hiroki finally coming out with a solemn face.

"Let's head home, Izuna." She said wearily and trotted up the hill. Hiroki slumped into the house and trudged up the stairs, walking down the hallway and reached the ominous door at the end.

She was frightened to open the door, or even knock, it seemed Madara had been busy so often lately, not even coming onto the roof once in awhile.

Hiroki held her hand at the front of the door, hesitating to knock.

"What are you waiting for? You have something important to tell him, right? No worries, he won't think of you as bothering him."

Hiroki jumped and cursed silently to herself. The two brothers always managed to catch her off guard.

"Are you sure?"

"Why? Are you scared of Madara?"

Hiroki looked away.

"Sort of?"

"Ha! He won't hurt you."

"It's not that...I just hate being a burden or a bother to him...always having to save me."

Izuna smiled.

"My Nee-chan is a strong woman, right?"

Hiroki blushed, surprised at his address again. He chuckled and raced downstairs to assemble the dinner.

She took a deep breath and knocked three times on the wood. She held her breath and closed her eyes, waiting for the scolding to come.

The door slid open a crack to reveal Madara's face. He looked stressed and weary, unwelcome to her presence.

"What is it? I thought I told you I had matters to take care of."

A pang ran through her, and she she looked down, but smiled weakly.

"Ah. I'm sorry...I just had something...and...then...well...I'm sorry to bother you..." Hiroki said quickly and turned quickly to leave. She tried swallowing the lump forming in her throat.

_I'm always such a bother to him..._

She felt a hand around her wrist. She turned to see Madara's arm outstretched from the crack, gripping her wrist tightly.

"If you have something to say, finish it." he said.

She could tell he was at least trying to let her say something. She turned to him and smiled, hiding her fears beneath the mask of happiness.

"It's okay."She swallowed the lump and tried to hide it all, "I don't want to bother you." And with a small flick, she released herself and walked to her room quickly, where she closed the door in a hurry.

She clutched her throat, trying to stop the lump from growing. She wiped away the moisture falling from behind her eyes.

_I knew it was no hope with him...What am I bringing myself into?_

_Should I even do the plan, when He doesn't even think me as...anymore..._

Hiroki slumped down, and she couldn't help the strange feelings from entering her heart.

I_t's happened before...my love...leaving me...I'm always being left behind...it's always the same..._

She slapped herself across the face. The sting brought her back to herself, her presence in the room. She swallowed.

_What am I thinking?!_

_All that he has done for me, all that he has given me, I can't let go of it now. If I'm a burden...then I only need to make myself stronger!_

She wiped away the tears.

"I know it wasn't a lie..." she said to herself.

The door slid open quickly and Hiroki felt it slide past her body, and she looked behind her, startled. He stared back.

"Wha-"

He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her. Relief suddenly spread through Hiroki, and she slowly lifted her arms to his back.

"I'm sorry I've been so absent lately. I haven't the time to please my woman." he said, stroking her head softly. Hiroki smiled and pulled back to look at his face. She noticed the prominent bags underneath his eyes. Hiroki rubbed his face.

"You're looking old. Get some sleep." she said. Madara smiled weakly.

"No time for that. Much to be organized.

"Who knows what you do in that dark den of yours."

"A room not even Izuna has dared to venture in."

Hiroki smiled, releasing herself off of him.

"I need to talk to you..." she said softly. Madara closed the door and sat down beside her at the wall.

"I thought you said you didn't want to."

"I thought I was being a bother to you."

Madara was silent before sighing.

"You're never a bother...if it's something on your mind, I'll hear it."

Hiroki took a deep breath before the words came tumbling out.

"You noticed that more of the Uchiha are beginning to doubt that my existence is real, right? I'm just a fake."

He nodded.

"And?"

"I don't know what to do...It's only something I have to earn, to prove."

"Why do you need to?"

Hiroki looked at him, surprised?

"I believe you. The leader, the Head, believes you, isn't it enough?"

Hiroki almost fell, but shook her head.

"Remember the incident with the First Meeting? What if that happens again? What if I am not there to defend myself?"

"I want to prove myself, once and for all. And the only way to do that...is to have myself killed."

Madara looked at her in disbelief.

"I believe that I won't die. I will be once more, resurrected. And if they see this, then they'll have to believe my words."

Madara slammed his hand down.

"I won't die! It's already happened twice! Once, I killed myself and ended up here. Second, I was killed in the Mikazuki ambush, and miraculously was brought back to life. Who says that it won't happen again? It is a risk I'm willing to take. I asked you when the next battle would be, so I would possibly-"

"Who put such an absurd idea in your head?"

Hiroki stopped and her breath caught in her throat, she looked at Madara's face and shut her mouth. He looked beyond angry. A rage that showed nothing but the demon's eyes. She shuddered.

"I was telling Ichiro and he suggested-"

"So it was that bastard in the end?"

"No! Madara, don't blame it on him! He was only trying to help me." Madara looked at her, surprised, before narrowing his eyes.

"Defending him, now are you?"

"It is a useless anger! The one you should be angry at is me!" Hiroki said, in a desperate attempt to save Ichiro's ass.

Madara stopped and she saw the darkness fade a bit from his eyes.

"I won't let you get killed. What if you never wake up again? What if it's all for naught, and you just didn't fight your hardest, thinking that you would just wake up from any death you recieved? Bullshit. I won't have the fear of losing you again. Never." he said, staring deep into her eyes.

Hiroki trembled, the lump growing again, suffocating her. The tears welled over.

"Then what am I supposed to do? My own clan shuns me." she whispered, bowing her head.

"You have forgotten me."

Hiroki looked up. Madara stared back, his eyes unwavering.

"You don't need anybody's trust. It's better for it. You've got me. Izuna. Countless others who have heard it and believed. Don't let a few fools who don't know what a good person is except their own asses bother you. They're cowards who only want power for themselves. If I need, I'll get rid of them."

"No, you mustn't they'll only think I've wooed you into it."

"Then let them. They'll see soon enough that your words are the truest."

Hiroki nodded. she recalled the meeting when they came back from the Sarutobi, when she had confessed herself.

* * *

She stood up, bowing her head.

"I-I have something to tell."

The members leaned in to hear. It was a rarity to hear from the'almighty God's package.'

"The truth...I'm not sure why I'm here for...I'm not sure if I'm here to help you or defeat the Senju..."

She let the gasps and murmurs circulate.

"I knew it! I false woman!"

"She only wants Madara-sama!"

"Kill her! The Lying snake!"

Madara watched from his chair, surveying those who had whispered bad words. He noticed that there were still those to held on, waiting for her to finish.

"SILENCE! Let her finish."

The words. All the words stopped and turned back to her.

"But...I do know the future. It is the Forbidden Knowledge. I cannot reveal it, but to the best of my ability, I will try to help the Uchiha benefit from it. I know this...because I am from the future. I know everything that will happen. I died in my time, and somehow, by the God's will, was transported back to the time of Madara and Hashirama. This is my second life."

She took a breath and quivered. It was all she could reveal.

Silence. Madara and Izuna watched as the dumbfounded members stare at her.

"If you can't tell us, then how are we supposed to believe? Didn't you lie to us once?"

Hiroki looked taken aback.

"I-I was't lying. I just didn't know what to say..."

"Excuses, excuses, you fraud. You've tricked and charmed our Leader, are lying to us, and you're going to kill us all next. How are we supposed to trust you?!" A man yelled. Hiroki felt the tears sting her eyes. She swallowed, her weakness spilling before her.

Madara could not help her. Izuna could not help her.

She was alone.

"Please. In time...can you please trust me?" she whispered.

"Stop." They all looked up to the voice which was not Madara's. It was Fukama's.

"We should listen to her. Why would she lie to her own clan? She's only trying to help us. Can't you see by those tears?"

"Fukama..." Hiroki said, astonished. She looked at him gratefully.

"You said that you are from the future? You know how everything will turn out? _Everything_?"

"Everything."

"Including... when we'll all die."

The members around her look startled. She swallowed, looking down.

"Yes."

"So, in your words...you are merely trying to say...you want to prevent our deaths?"

"Mostly...Izuna's and Madara's..." Hiroki gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide.

_What have I done?!_

The room was shocked.

"You're...you're saying...Madara-sama and Izuna-sama will die?"

Hiroki glanced at Madara. His face was pure horror. She felt the pangs of guilt run through her.

_I've just said his brother's going to die._

"No. Not anytime soon. I can't say anything more."

The other man, enraged, stood up, his chair clanging loudly on the floor.

"You are purposely doing this to Madara-sama! Look! She's lying!"

Fukama stood up as well, his eyes defending Hiroki.

"Stop! Shuki, you've gone too far! Can't you see she is trying to help us?!"

"She's a lying witch!"

"If she was lying, do you think she'd be that teared-up about it?!"

"Tears of an actor-the greatest liar there is."

Shuki stormed out of the room, his followers leaving as well. Hiroki stood there in silence, mortified. She slumped to the ground, hiding her face in shame.

"Well, then. That is all for today, thank you." Madara said quickly and dismissed the meeting. fukama looked behind him and smiled.

"No worries. I believe in you, Hiroki-san. You have my trust."

* * *

Hiroki smiled, feeling renewed by Fukama's kindness and his faith in her. His brother, Fujio, was a very kind man as well. She remembered their names in the history book as two great generals, leading by example and force. Their faith in their men brought them the respect and honor they deserved.

"Madara. Fukama and Fujio-san. They were very good men."

He looked over at her smiling face.

"I don't need the 'plan' anymore. You are right. All I need is time and trust in myself."

She also remembered their noble deaths. Fujio was the younger brother. They loved each other very much, almost like Madara and Izuna. Madara's love for his brother was unspeakable. A passion that cannot be rivaled.

Fukama was killed in battle, saving his younger brother from a deadly attack. In his honor, Fujio slayed fifty men, tears of vengeance shining as he slew for his dead brother, avenging him in the process. At last, on his last man, he was slashed across the chest as well. His opponent fell first. Fujio fell second, his smile filled with joy as he gladly opened his arms to death.

"Brother, at last, I get to see you again." With his last breath. And he closed his eyes for all of eternity.

Their death-story was even more famous among the Uchiha than their living lives.

Madara's life...it was even daring to say that his life and death...unable to compare. One of the most tragic, is not the most, in all of history. Lost in darkness, he was killed in it. She glanced over at him. The moment of silence had somehow made him a bit sleepy. His eyes were half-open, a tranquil, sedated look on his face, as if nothing could harm in.

Hiroki smiled and reached over to lay him down gently on her bed spread, having to drag it over there, since he was too heavy for her to carry.

"What are you doing?"

"Sleep." She said, closing his eyes for him and gently pressing her lips against his,

"Thank You." Hiroki said softly, stepping out.

She went downstairs to meet Izuna.

"Where's Madara?"

"Sleeping."

"Ah. Food?"

Hiroki grinned.

"Looks like we'll have it all to ourselves." Izuna said and Hiroki nodded.

The meal was hearty, but Hiroki still missed his presence with them.

Deciding that it would be best to leave him asleep, Hiroki crawled to the roof with another window.

She stared at the stars, smiling that they twinkled so brightly. She wondered if there was someone in the future, wishing on her star.

_Hikaru...I really wish you could meet him. I really wish so._

_Pit-pat._

Hiroki looked up, startled. She looked at her palm. It held drops. The Gods were crying again. The rain fell even harder. She spotted a window and ducked in quickly, closing the door. She forgot that it was her window, and Madara was in her room. She silently scolded herself. She looked outside and spotted a glimpse of a huge lightning bolt hurling towards the earth.

The thunder resounded almost immediately. It was deafening, a huge bellow of the skies. Even through the windows and walls, it was like a Thunder's God's war cry.

Somewhere faraway, a body lay crumpled in the ash of blacked earth.

The body moved, picking himself up, looking around startled. He looked at the huge face of rock, in which lay bare of the Hokage's faces.

"Well. I wouldn't say. That is such a strange sight indeed." he said, his long, wet, raven strands falling over his face. He brushed his body off and stretched his neck.

"It seems like I was called from Heaven...now...where in the hell am I?"

Hikaru sighed and recognized the terrain immediately. He smiled.

"Well, I'll be..." he muttered, and began walking in the direction of the Uchiha Clan Village.

_**Chapter 11 END**_

* * *

_**Author's Note: **Hello! It's Rima-chan! Been awhile, hasn't it? Sorry. I was busy with more stories, especially the Shungeki no Kyojin one. It's available now! The second chapter is coming soon. Read the first! If you know Shingeki no Kyojin, of course. Just go to my profile._

_But...Thanks to: **X** (Guest), more **Guest reviews**, **xGuiltyXGigglesx03**, **xLilim**, **Sb30** (Thanks so much! I promised, right?), ,__**Theunfunny9**__ **Bass Music Lover** **Forever,** **Enervation**, , **mia406,** i**renia,** **animelady12**, and to all my other friends for being supportive. I am now open to requests, so PM me if you wish...Maybe I'll start a Live Journal or something to get you all the on track of my stories._

_I truly love you all. For real. If I become famous...I will mention you all. Thank you for everything. Sorry I've been so busy, with traveling and back to school and what the shiz._

_Madara...hmph. You've become so interesting. I hope you liked that last cliff-hanger there... XD. I'm also obsessed with Big Bang's song, Monster! I've been reading Orange Marmalade...so...Yeah. Go Koreans! Also, I'm in LOVE with Fairy Tail! Go Erza and Gerard, or Jellal or what the hell his name is!_

_Love all the perverted parts! I am also practicing piano for a Wedding! Yeah! Go Yiruma music! And Tifa's Theme! OMIGOD. My fingers are going to orgasm if I play it well..._

_Please anticipate the next chapter...It will be soon...maybe..._

_Till next time. Rima. _


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